Brazil National Football Team Formation

Starting Lineup

Alisson · Marquinhos © · Gabriel M. · D. Santos · Danilo Luiz · Bruno G. · Casemiro · L. Paquetá · Cunha · Vini Jr. · Raphinha

Brazil plays with a high pressing and possession based identity in a 4-3-3 formation. This lineup is built to dominate the ball and win it back quickly in the opposition half. By spreading the pitch wide, the team seeks to stretch the defence and create gaps in the middle.

Alisson starts in goal, using his distribution to play out from the back. The defensive unit functions as a zonal line. Danilo Luiz plays as a defensive full back to hold the right side, while D. Santos pushes up to provide width on the left. Marquinhos © leads the central pairing with his positional awareness, while Gabriel M. acts as the covering defender to pick up runners.

The midfield uses a single pivot with Casemiro sitting in front of the back four. Casemiro uses his physicality to shield the defence and win the second ball. In front of him, Bruno G. and L. Paquetá operate as two eights. Bruno G. drives forward with the ball to break the line, while L. Paquetá connects the defensive and attacking lines by moving into the half spaces. They work to compress the midfield and prevent the opposition from playing through the lines.

Up front, Brazil uses three attackers to pin the last defender. Vini Jr. plays as an inverted winger on the left, using his explosive dribbling to cut inside and threaten the goal. Raphinha operates on the right wing, hugging the touchline before looking to cross or cut in. Cunha plays as a lone striker, tasked to hold up the ball and link up play between the lines. The attack aims to create runs in behind and isolate wide players in one on one situations.

This formation offers great speed of transition when winning the ball high up the pitch. The team can move from a mid block to an attacking wave very quickly. There is also a clear ability to create wide overloads when the full backs overlap the winger. By using the technical ability of the midfield, the team can control the tempo and recycle possession.

This 4-3-3 formation is a heavy attacking lineup that relies on individual brilliance in the final third. It is best suited for matches against teams that play a high line or leave space behind their midfield.