Preview:Bolivia vs Brazil - prediction, team news, lineups

Brazil will head on their travels for the final match of their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign against Bolivia on Tuesday.

The Selecao have already secured their place in next year's World Cup, while Bolivia are battling it out with Venezuela for the inter-confederation playoff spot.

Match preview

Bolivia are holding onto the faint hope that they could still qualify for their first World Cup since the 1994 edition in the United States.

Their only chance is through the inter-confederation playoffs, having fallen short in their bid to clinch one of the six automatic qualification spots.

Bolivia are currently sitting in eighth position and one point adrift of seventh-placed Venezuela after winning five, drawing two and losing 10 of their 17 qualifiers.

Oscar Villegas's side missed the chance to move level or ahead of Venezuela in Thursday's away clash with Colombia, which saw them fall to a heavy 3-0 defeat in Barranquilla.

Bolivia will have to quickly pick themselves up for an almighty test against Brazil, knowing that a win will be enough to snatch a playoff spot if Venezuela fail to beat Colombia.

However, their hopes of claiming three precious points will be tempered by the fact that they have not beaten Brazil since recording a 2-1 home victory in October 2009.

In contrast to their hosts, Brazil have already punched their ticket to the USA, Mexico and Canada, maintaining their record of appearing at every World Cup finals in history.

Incredibly, Brazil have used three different managers during the course of the campaign, starting with interim boss Fernando Diniz, who handed over the reins to Dorival Junior before Carlo Ancelotti was appointed in May.

The former Real Madrid manager started his campaign with an underwhelming goalless draw against Ecuador, before he oversaw a 1-0 win against Paraguay that sealed Brazil's place at next year's World Cup.

Ancelotti would have been delighted to see his team clinch another victory in Thursday's home clash against Chile, which saw Estevao Willian, Lucas Paqueta and Bruno Guimaraes all find the net in a dominant 3-0 win, leaving them in second place in the standings with 28 points to their name.

The Italian will especially be pleased with the fact that his team have claimed three consecutive clean sheets, representing a significant improvement from a side that recorded three shutouts across their first 14 qualifiers.

Ancelotti's players now face the challenge of playing at high altitude in El Alta, although they still should fancy their chances of picking up three more points after winning six of their previous seven head-to-head matches.

Bolivia World Cup Qualifying - South America form:

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Brazil World Cup Qualifying - South America form:

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Team News

After starting in a front three against Colombia, Roberto Fernandez may drop back to the left side of defence for the final match of qualifying.

That may lead to Carmelo Algaranaz coming into the side to feature in the forward line with Moises Paniagua and Miguelito.

Villegas could be reluctant to make changes to the midfield, with Robson Matheus, Ervin Vaca and Gabriel Villamil in line to retain their places.

As for Brazil, Ancelotti decided to omit Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo from his squad, pointing to the fact that he knows the players well from his time at Real Madrid and wants to evaluate other options ahead of next year's World Cup.

Neymar was also left out due to a leg problem, while Ancelotti decided against risking Eder Militao following his recent return from injury.

The Brazil boss is also unable to call upon Alex Sandro, Vanderson, Joelinton, Matheus Cunha and Kaio Jorge due to injury, while Casemiro is suspended after he picked up his second yellow card of the qualifying campaign on Thursday.

Ancelotti could decide to make several changes in a bid to assess his squad, with Paqueta, Luiz Henrique, Samuel Lino and Richarlison among those who could be given starting opportunities.

Bolivia possible starting lineup:

Lampe; Medina, Haquin, Morales, Fernandez; Matheus, Vaca, Villamil; Panaiagua, Miguelito; Algaranaz

Brazil possible starting lineup:

Alisson; Wesley, Marquinhos, Alexsandro, Henrique; A.Santos, Guimaraes; Henrique, Paqueta; Lino; Richarlison

We say: Bolivia 0-3 Brazil

Bolivia will be desperate to clinch a crucial victory to take advantage of any dropped points from Venezuela, but we think that they will struggle to compete against the five-time world champions, and considering that Brazil have won the last four meetings by a combined 17-1 scoreline, we believe that they will pick up another comfortable win in Tuesday's contest.

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