Two Round of 32 fixtures light up Monday, with Brazil facing Japan at NRG Stadium and Germany taking on Paraguay at Gillette Stadium. The headline calls are Vinicius Junior leading Brazil's attack should Neymar and Raphinha remain unavailable, and Germany naming an unchanged back three after reported defensive fitness concerns around N. Brown and N. Schlotterbeck force Thiaw into the starting frame.
Brazil v Japan
The key selection question for Brazil is how Dorival Junior reshapes the attack with Neymar and Raphinha absent through reported injury concerns: we expect Gabriel Martinelli to slide into the wide right role, with Vinicius Junior and Matheus Cunha completing a front three that has enough individual quality to trouble any defence. Japan, meanwhile, are without Takumi Kubo due to reported injury concerns and must lean harder on Daichi Kamada and Ritsu Doan to create from deeper positions in their 3-4-2-1 shape.
Brazil (4-3-3)
| Pos | Player |
|---|---|
| GK | Alisson Becker |
| RB | Danilo |
| CB | Marquinhos |
| CB | Gabriel Magalhães |
| LB | Douglas Santos |
| CM | Casemiro |
| CM | Bruno Guimarães |
| CM | Lucas Paquetá |
| RW | Gabriel Martinelli |
| ST | Matheus Cunha |
| LW | Vinícius Júnior |
Japan (3-4-2-1)
| Pos | Player |
|---|---|
| GK | Z. Suzuki |
| CB | A. Seko |
| CB | K. Itakura |
| CB | H. Ito |
| RWB | Y. Sugawara |
| CM | A. Tanaka |
| CM | K. Sano |
| LWB | T. Tomiyasu |
| AM | D. Kamada |
| AM | R. Doan |
| ST | A. Ueda |
The biggest selection doubt centres on Japan's midfield: if Kubo misses out as reported, Hajime Moriyasu could hand a start to K. Sano in place of the more attack-minded profile Japan showed against Sweden, where Nakamura featured, and that shift would make Japan considerably harder to break down in the middle third.
Germany v Paraguay
Germany's reported defensive fitness concerns around N. Brown and N. Schlotterbeck open a spot in the back three, and we expect Malick Thiaw to step in alongside Jonathan Tah and Antonio Rüdiger in what is otherwise an unchanged XI from the win over Ecuador. Paraguay need a result and will likely maintain their 5-3-2 block, but with reported doubts over Almirón and D. Gómez, their creative capacity takes a serious blow.
Germany (3-4-2-1)
| Pos | Player |
|---|---|
| GK | M. Neuer |
| CB | J. Kimmich |
| CB | J. Tah |
| CB | A. Rüdiger |
| RWB | L. Sané |
| CM | F. Nmecha |
| CM | A. Pavlovic |
| LWB | D. Raum |
| AM | J. Musiala |
| AM | F. Wirtz |
| ST | K. Havertz |
Paraguay (5-3-2)
| Pos | Player |
|---|---|
| GK | O. Gill |
| RCB | J. Cáceres |
| CB | G. Velázquez |
| CB | G. Gómez |
| CB | O. Alderete |
| LCB | A. Maidana |
| CM | A. Cubas |
| CM | M. Galarza |
| CM | B. Ojeda |
| ST | G. Ávalos |
| ST | J. Enciso |
Paraguay's x-factor is Julio Enciso: with Almirón potentially missing, he carries the greatest threat of producing something unpredictable against a Germany back three that has not always been tight on the counter, and how Rüdiger and Tah manage the space in behind will define whether this stays comfortable for the Europeans.
This article was researched and drafted with AI assistance and reviewed by our editorial team.