Brazil head coach Dorival Junior must make some difficult decisions about his starting 11 as the team prepares to face Colombia at the Copa America on Tuesday.

Selecao are three points above Costa Rica for a place in the knockout phase with a goal differential of +3, while the latter are at -3.

Three players are currently on yellow cards and in danger of suspension, including star striker Vinicius Junior, his Real Madrid teammate Eder Militao, and West Ham's Lucas Paqueta.

Should Vinicius be benched as a precaution, 17-year-old Endrick will likely earn his first start at this tournament, having entered as a substitute in both of their matches thus far.

If the coach does not want to risk losing a player through suspension, Lucas Beraldo could slot into central defence alongside his Paris Saint-Germain clubmate Marquinhos.

Douglas Luiz was relegated to the bench again on matchday two, with the manager favouring Joao Gomes and Bruno Guimaraes as the holding midfielders.

Savio justified his place in the opening lineup on Friday, scoring his first goal with the senior squad in his first start since a 3-2 victory over Mexico earlier this month.

Rodrygo played as the lone striker against Paraguay, but the Real Madrid man may return to his preferred position on the wing for this match.

Gabriel Magalhaes and Andreas Pereira made their first appearances at this tournament on Friday, with the Arsenal and Fulham midfielders coming on as second-half substitutes.

Pereira would be the most likely player to take the place of Paqueta on matchday three should they choose a more pragmatic approach.

Despite being nearly assured of a spot in the last eight, we expect Bento to remain on the bench for this team in favour of first-choice goalkeeper Alisson.

Brazil possible starting lineup: Alisson; Danilo, Beraldo, Marquinhos, Arana; Guimaraes, Gomes; Savio, Pereira, Rodrygo; Endrick

Written by
Joel Lefevre