There are some high-profile returnees but also a
number of fresh faces in the European-based Selecao party for the
upcoming friendlies with Turkey and Austria
Dunga's Brazilian evolution is well under way after four straight victories since the disappointment of this year's World Cup.This month, the Selecao continue their preparations for Copa America 2015 and CONMEBOL's World Cup qualification marathon with Gillette Brasil Global Tour dates with Turkey in Istanbul and Austria in Vienna.
A jam-packed domestic calendar saw Dunga and the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) agree to select a purely foreign-based squad for the final international dates of the current year, with Jefferson, Gil, Elias, Everton Ribeiro, Ricardo Goulart and Diego Tardelli all left out as the Brazilian season reaches its climax. Marcelo Grohe, Souza, Kaka and Robinho were all present for last month's tour of Asia but they too will be left to focus their attentions on domestic matters.
Consequently, a number of roles within the squad are up for grabs, with Dunga's 23-man group featuring nine changes in personnel to his previous panel.
Below GBGT takes a closer look at the new additions and familiar faces who have sealed a long-awaited return to the Brazil fold.
| NETO - GOALKEEPER (FIORENTINA) |
Dunga began his tenure with just two goalkeepers rather than the traditional three, insisting there was little need for three custodians in the squad. However, Marcelo Grohe was last month drafted into the panel because of injury concerns over Jefferson and this month Neto has been added to the group. The 25-year-old made his name with Atletico Paranaense before a 2011 switch to Fiorentina, where he has established himself as Vincenzo Montella's No.1. Now, with Rafael Cabral set to start in the absence of Jefferson, the Viola ace will be hoping to usurp Diego Alves as Dunga's third-choice goalkeeper.
| DIEGO ALVES - GOALKEEPER (VALENCIA) |
However, Neto faces stiff competition from Diego Alves. The 29-year-old has proven himself one of Spain's leading goalkeepers since joining Valencia from Almeria in 2011 and is eyeing his first appearance for his country since a flurry of games under former coach Mano Menezes in 2012. An Olympic Bronze medal-winner in 2008, he made his international debut in 2011 against Gabon and has been a vital part of a resurgent Valencia that look set to launch a surprise challenge for the Liga title this season.
| ALEX SANDRO - DEFENDER (PORTO) |
Alex Sandro is set to make his first appearance in a Brazil shirt in two years. The Porto left-back was included in Dunga's first squad, for the matches with Colombia and Ecuador in September, but was forced to withdraw through injury. The 23-year-old failed to make the cut last month but his fine form in Portugal has earned him a recall and the former Santos man will now be hoping to dislodge Filipe Luis from the side, with the Chelsea defender currently struggling for game time at Stamford Bridge. The offensively-minded Sandro will certainly offer an exciting alternative to the full-backs that have thus far shown very little attacking intent under Dunga.
| THIAGO SILGA - DEFENDER (PSG) |
Former Brazil captain Thiago Silva makes a welcome return after injury ruled him out of Dunga's first two squads. Obviously, the Paris Saint-Germain defender has lost the armband to Neymar and he now even has his work cut out reclaiming his place at the heart of the defence following a run of four straight clean sheets in his absence. Miranda has been excellent after missing out on a place in Luiz Felipe Scolari’s World Cup squad, starting all four games of Dunga's second stint with the Selecao, and the Atletico Madrid ace looked particularly impressive in his two outings alongside David Luiz. The onus is now on Thiago Silva to reassert himself as Brazil's best centre-half.
| CASEMIRO - MIDFIELDER (PORTO) |
Another new arrival from Porto, Casemiro has shone since arriving at the Dragao on a season-long loan from Real Madrid. A holding midfielder who made the grade with Sao Paulo, reports of indiscipline in the early stages of his career saw his development stall before a surprise switch to the Santiago Bernabeu in 2013. He began life with Madrid's B team but was promoted to the senior squad by former coach Jose Mourinho. The 22-year-old is now in line to make his first international appearance since June 2012 and will be intent on impressing in the absence of Flamengo’s Elias, another to have missed out due to domestic commitments.
| ROBERTO FIRMINO - MIDFIELDER (HOFFENHEIM) |
The rapid globalisation of the modern game has seen young South American talent leave the continent earlier and earlier, and Hoffenheim's Roberto Firmino greeted the news of his first international call-up by admitting that few football fans back home know anything about him. Indeed, the 23-year-old attacking midfielder played just one season in Brazil with Figueirense before making the move to Germany. However, he is poised to become a household name as he is now being regularly linked with some of Europe's biggest clubs. Firmino earned his Selecao call-up on the back of a meteoric rise in the Bundesliga, where he bagged an impressive 16 goals and 11 assists last season.
| DOUGLAS COSTA - FORWARD (SHAKHTAR) |
A wonderkid linked with some of the world's most famous teams after breaking into the Gremio side as a teenager at 18, Dougla Costa saw his career stall after initially being touted as one of the most promising talents to emerge from Rio Grande do Sul in some time. However, he quickly recovered his form following a big-money move to Shakhtar Donetsk, where he has helped the club claim five consecutive league titles since his arrival in January 2010. The 24-year-old possesses lightening pace, a ferocious left foot and that invaluable ability to beat his marker on either side, time and time again.
| LUCAS MOURA - FORWARD (PSG) |
A 2013 Confederations Cup winner under Scolari, PSG attacker Lucas Moura looked all set to be play a major role at this year's World Cup until he was dropped for the November 2013 Gillette Brasil Global Tour friendlies with Honduras and Chile. His continued indifferent form in France saw him also miss out on a place in the squad against South Africa a few months later but a remarkable resurgence has resulted in him being recalled to the international arena for the first time in 18 months. The 22-year-old has racked up six goals in 11 Ligue 1 starts so far this term and now has a golden opportunity to re-establish himself in the Selecao set-up with Everton Ribeiro and Ricardo Goulart both missing.
| LUIZ ADRIANO - FORWARD (SHAKHTAR) |
The absence of Dunga's preferred 'false nine', Diego Tardelli, will likely see Brazil experiment with a more traditional centre-forward in November and Shakhtar's Luiz Adriano is the first old-school striker to be handed a call-up since the World Cup. The 27-year-old attacker made his name in a handful of games with Internacional before being snapped up by the Ukrainian giants, for whom he has proven incredibly prolific since joining in 2007. In October, he became only the second man in history, after Lionel Messi, to hit five goals in a single Champions League match as Shakhtar hammered BATE Borisov 7-0 in Belarus. He netted a hat-trick in the return to move to the top of the scorers' chart and underline his status as arguably the form striker in Europe right now.
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