TOWNSVILLE, Queensland -- Coming up against a former pupil, Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti is expecting Australia to provide the Seleção with a tough, compact, and well-organised opponent as he begins the process of finding a "new generation" of players for the 2028 Copa América and 2030 FIFA World Cup.
Facing the Socceroos in Townsville and Brisbane before jetting off to Kolkata for a game against Asian minnows India, the September and October international window will mark Brazil's first games since the 2026 World Cup, where they were eliminated in the round of 16 by an Erling Haaland-inspired Norway.
That elimination marked not only Brazil's worst performance at the World Cup since they were bundled out of Italia 90 at the same hurdle, but also ensured that their wait for a sixth title will now stretch to at least 28 years -- the longest drought the nation has experienced since it lifted its first trophy in 1958.
Signing a new contract that will take him through 2030 in May, Ancelotti has therefore jetted into Queensland with a mixture of youth and established superstars, as Brazil begins its attempt to return to the mountaintop of global football, even accounting for Chelsea striker João Pedro's withdrawal through injury.
Joking not to become accustomed to such a level of transparency, he indicated on Thursday evening that he would start Hugo Souza, Matheuzinho, Marquinhos, Vitor Reis, Douglas Santos, Danilo, Bruno Guimarães, Estêvão, Raphinha, Endrick, and Vinícius Júnior against the Australians the following evening.
"It's difficult to say it's a friendly. For Brazil, it will never be a friendly game," Ancelotti said. "It will be an important game. A new season, we have a goal to find new players, to find a new generation of players for the World Cup and Copa América. And we start in the game tomorrow.
"I know that soccer in Australia is not the biggest sport. But they did really well [at the World Cup], and Tony [Popovic, Australia's coach] did a fantastic job. He organised a fantastic team, really compact, strong defensively, with a fantastic counterattack. They won a fantastic game against Türkiye, then lost on penalties against Egypt. I think that in modern football, there are no easy games. You have to prepare well for the game; you have to respect the rival and do your best."
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Preparing to lead the Socceroos into an Asian Cup next January, at which point his contract is set to conclude, Popovic has a longstanding admiration for Ancelotti, having previously been invited to observe his methods at both AC Milan and Bayern Munich.
"I was just sinking my teeth into the coaching and understanding it, and I just saw that there was an elite standard and the players were elite, a manager that was very clear on what he wanted to do, and was very measured, very calm," Popovic told ESPN ahead of the World Cup. "But you felt the authority, and you felt the presence and aura of a Carlo Ancelotti. That was a coach that I really looked at and thought, that's the type of manager I'd love to be."
Thus, while his visit with Brazil represents the first time that Ancelotti has ever visited Australia, the games in Brisbane have given him a chance to reconnect with a former mentee.
"We are good friends," Ancelotti said. "Sometimes we have the possibility to meet to talk about football. We spent time together when I was in Milan; we spent time together in Brisbane two nights ago. It's a pleasure to talk about football [with Popovic]. He's doing a fantastic job here. A really passionate manager. I hope the best for him. I think the World Cup he had was a really good World Cup. The team showed strong quality, a compact team.
"We've had fantastic reception, not only from the Brazilian community, but from all the people. The national team of Brazil is really respected everywhere in the world. [It's] my first time in Australia, so I'm trying my best to enjoy this beautiful country."