"Having won their ninth Copa America Femenina in the summer, their next major tournament will be the World Cup in 20 months. That may seem like a long time but the head coach, Arthur Elias, is aware that every minute of preparation counts, starting with their friendlies against England in Manchester on Saturday and then Italy in Parma on Tuesday."
"These games are really important for us to see how we behave collectively when facing different teams with different styles, he said at the squad announcement. We are at a stage where we are consolidating our team identity. We're playing against two great European teams. England have won the past two Euros and Italy reached the semis last time around and played really well. We have taken that into account when we selected this squad."
"We want to give opportunities to younger payers. Our average age is now 24 years old, which we think is ideal when looking ahead to 2027. Elias does not have all his key players available. He was expecting to be without Real Madrid's Antonia and Manchester City's Kerolin because of injuries but since the squad announcement he has also lost Atletico Madrid's Gio Garbelini and her replacement, Debinha of KC Current. Sao Paulo's 22-year-old forward Isabelle Caroline has been called up."
Brazil, as 2027 World Cup hosts, have 20 months until the tournament after winning a ninth Copa America Femenina. Head coach Arthur Elias prioritizes preparation with friendlies against England and Italy to test players against different conditions and European playing styles. The matches assess collective behavior and help consolidate a team identity while offering opportunities to younger players; the squad's average age is 24. Injuries have ruled out key names including Antonia, Kerolin and Gio Garbelini, and Debinha was also lost, prompting the call-up of 22-year-old Isabelle Caroline. Elias previously led Brazil to a 2-1 win over the United States and Olympic silver in 2024.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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