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EXCLUSIVE: RENAN LODI AND EVERTON IN BRAZIL STARTING LINE-UP AGAINST NIGERIA

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Coach Tite has made changes to the team that drew 1-1 with Senegal on Thursday as he plans to end the three-match winless streak that the five-time World Cup winners have had.

This is the first time since 2013 that Brazil will fail to win a match on three consecutive occasions.

If they fail to beat Nigeria on Sunday, their record is further dented.

To avert this, Coach Tito, Sports Village Squared has gathered from the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) that both Alex Sandro and Philippe Coutinho who started in the match with Senegal are being replaced by  Renan Lodi and Everton.

This is to present a stronger team against Nigeria.  According to CBF,Coach Tite has confirmed two changes in the team facing Nigeria against the team that started the game against Senegal. 

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Brazil’s last training session on Saturday ahead of the clash with Nigeria on Sunday

This Sunday in Singapore, the Brazilian Team will have Renan Lodi and Everton in place of Alex Sandro and Philippe Coutinho.

Keeping an eye on the formatting of a new game system, Tite explained the reason for the two changes. On Saturday night, after training in the afternoon, he talked to the journalists present in Singapore.

“What I have in mind about football is balance. When you are overly defensive or offensive, you suffer. Balancing the team is our challenge. And only in theory can not, I have to put to play. 

“If it doesn’t get a random thing. Renan was due to the sequence of Alex Sandro. He was coming from strong sequence in the club, travel, was not fully recovered. And I have at Renan the peace of mind to play.

“Éverton will play a similar role to what he did in at the Copa America” remarked the coach who said he was aware of the difficulty of facing another strong opponent like Nigeria.

“We know that they are very fast and have the physical strength with one of the strengths, but we will try to make our game, with fast passes, our pace. My role will be very similar to that of the Copa America, with freedom to attack there from the left and help in the re-composition”, said Everton ho has been handed a starting role.

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On the other hand, left-back Renan Lodi will have his first opportunity as the Brazilian National Team starter. He, who made his debut with Amarelinha in a 1-1 draw with Senegal, hopes to do the trick.

“It was a great emotion there at the premiere, and now I will have a chance to start playing. I’m sure I will do my job very well. What Tite asked was to have peace of mind, to rotate the ball between the two sides and look for the triangulations on the side”,  said Renan.

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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International Football

Guinea names Portugal’s Duarte as new national coach

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African Cup of Nations - Semi Finals - Burkina Faso v Egypt- Stade de l'Amitie - Libreville, Gabon - 1/2/17 Burkina Faso coach Paulo Jorge Duarte Reuters / Amr Abdallah Dalsh Livepic/File Photo

Well-travelled Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte has been named as Guinea’s new coach, less than a month before their next round of World Cup qualifiers.

Duarte, 56, has twice previously coached Burkina Faso and taken charge of Gabon and Togo, while also coaching at clubs in Portugal, France, Tunisia, Angola and Saudi Arabia.

Guinea’s football federation gave no contract details when they made the announcement on Monday, but said they would be looking for Duarte to “restructure their national team”.

Guinea trail leaders Algeria by eight points in their World Cup qualifying group with four games remaining, leaving them with only a slim chance of qualification.

They play Somalia away on September 5 and then Algeria at home on September 8 in their next two qualifiers although a stadium ban means Guinea have moved their home game to Casablanca, Morocco.

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-Reuters

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Veteran coach Van Gaal says he is cured of cancer

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Veteran coach Louis van Gaal says he has been cured of cancer and is keen for a return to the higher levels of the game.

The 73-year-old announced three years ago that he was suffering from prostate cancer, but told a Dutch television talk show, “I’m no longer bothered by cancer.”

When he announced his illness, Van Gaal was the coach of the Dutch national team, but he has not worked since the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.

“Two years ago, I had a few operations. It was all bad then. But it all worked out in the end. I have check-ups every few months, and that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter,” he said.

Van Gaal, whose career has included stints at Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, reiterated a lack of interest in returning to club management but said becoming the national coach of a top-tier country could tempt him back.

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He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.

-Reuters

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Like father like son, Davide Ancelotti becomes Brazil’s Botafogo manager

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Davide Ancelotti, son of Brazil's Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti, has been appointed coach of Botafogo, the Rio de Janeiro club announced on Tuesday.

In a compelling twist of football destiny, Davide Ancelotti is stepping into his own spotlight as he begins his first head coaching role at Brazilian club Botafogo—just months after parting ways with his legendary father, Carlo Ancelotti, at Real Madrid.

The 35-year-old has been appointed as Botafogo’s new manager, the club announced on Tuesday, following the sacking of Renato Paiva. Davide, who has spent the last decade working alongside his father at some of Europe’s top clubs—including Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, and Real Madrid—has signed a one-year deal with the Rio-based team.

This marks a significant milestone for the younger Ancelotti, whose career has long been shaped by his father’s influence, but who now faces the challenge of carving his own identity on the touchline.

The move comes shortly after both father and son departed Real Madrid at the end of last season, with Carlo taking over the Brazilian national team. Now, in a poetic alignment, father and son find themselves on different paths within Brazilian football—one leading the Seleção, the other steering the fortunes of a storied domestic club.

Botafogo’s decision to appoint Davide follows a controversial parting with Paiva, who was dismissed just days after their exit from the Club World Cup. Though he oversaw a stunning win over Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, a 1-0 extra-time loss to Palmeiras in the round of 16 proved to be his final act after just four months in charge.

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As Davide Ancelotti begins this new chapter, all eyes will be on whether the son of one of football’s most decorated managers can step out from his father’s shadow—and perhaps, in time, build a legacy of his own.

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