The opponent chosen for Arthur Elias’s first two matches as coach of the Brazilian women’s team is well known to fans and players. Canada, rivals at the next FIFA Date on October 28-31, eliminated Brazil in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, winning an unprecedented gold medal.

For Arthur Elias, the Canadian team is the ideal rival to test the team he is starting to put together, ten months before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

– Canada is an experienced team, who also did not have a good World Cup and who want to get back on their feet as quickly as possible, because the Olympic Games are fast approaching. A great team, which will test our offensive and defensive side, we will have to be very careful with set pieces and with Canada’s counterattack – said the coach.

Canada and Brazil were eliminated in the group stage of the World Cup – both teams finished third in their groups. The recent record between the two rivals is favorable to the North American team, with two Canadian victories and two draws in the last five matches.

Brazil and Canada already have guaranteed places at the Paris Olympics. The Brazilian team qualified by winning the Copa América last year, alongside runners-up Colombia. The Canadians have just won second place in Concacaf at the end of September, beating Jamaica in the playoffs. The United States were already ranked continental champions. Hosts France are the other team already guaranteed, with seven teams remaining to complete the Olympic tournament.

Arthur must vary the tactical system in the games

The Brazil coach maintained the foundations of his first call-up, when he called 30 players for a training camp at Granja Comary at the end of September. The three new players are midfielder Luana, who was called up but injured, defender Lauren and striker Gabi Nunes – the latter two participated in the World Cup and are back in the team.

The Brazilian coach, who formed the team with a three-defender line at Granja Comary, wants to see Lauren play in the new tactical formation and expects the playing system to vary during friendlies.

– They are two exceptional players, talented and still young. Lauren changed teams (from Madrid CFF, Spain, to Kansas City Current, USA) recently, but I’ve known her for a long time. It will be important that she is with us in this call-up, the system chosen for one of the two matches favors the call-up of another defender. Gabi Nunes, I have known her since her training, when she was 14, 15 years old. She is a player who has scored a lot of goals, a goalscoring player in the box – he commented.