Respect, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu & Ryan Williams: How no.5 Brazil gear up for first-ever meet with 138th-ranked India?

There is nothing to hide about the gulf between Indian and Brazilian national football teams. A five-time World Cup champion, Brazil sit at a healthy no.5 spot in the FIFA Rankings. In contrast, India are placed 133 positions below. Certainly the "why" question triggered in everyone's mind when the All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced the tie on July 30.

For the Indian players, the Brazil clash comes up as a huge opportunity to showcase their talents in front of the players, whom they have only watched only on television channels in English Premier League, Spain's La Liga, France's Ligue 1 and at the World Cups. For India, replicating what did against Panama in the Brazil game will be a huge achievement.

Interestingly, the likes of Marquinhos, Endrick, Bruno Guimaraes, Gabriel Martinelli and Vinicius Junior are used to competing against the best in the world. In fact, the Brazilian captain Marquinhos has already played 100 games for the national team and also leads his club Paris Saint-Germain.

But when the star centre-back revealed that Brazil have followed India in their past six games, the whole auditorium hall at the pre-match press conference took a step back, especially the Indian journalists. ““it’s a golden opportunity to be in India, with so much support,” Marquinhos said.

"It’s a very big motivation. Outside Brazil, India is probably one of the countries where there is the biggest support and fan base for the entire squad. So, it’s a pleasure for all of us to be here,” he added. For India, they have played six games in 2026, winning one, two draws and three losses.

A winner of UEFA Champions League with PSG, Marquinhos has been closely following the Blue Tigers and also namedropped Indian goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. “India have played around six matches this year. Every match, even without a victory, has its own history and important moments," said the 32-year-old on Friday.

“Brazil has been analysing the Indian team very well, of course, to get the best result in the game. This is the 90th game for their goalie Gurpreet, which is extremely impressive. This is a shared lifelong dream for the Indian and Brazilian teams,” he added.

Carlo Ancelotti wary of Ryan Williams

Shortly after Marquinhos' words on India, Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti made it clear that they have “full respect” for the country and is relishing the chance to showcase its quality on Saturday. "Cricket is part of their culture, football is not the most important game," Ancelotti said.

"But that doesn't mean they don't love football. We are happy to be here and show our quality to all who have the possibility to watch the game and it will be a fantastic night. "We have respect for the quality of the Indian team. They played a good draw against Panama. We have full respect for our opponents," added the Italian, who took charge in 2025.

Ancelotti also revealed that Brazil have kept a close eye on India's Ryan Williams, who gave the Blue Tigers a surprise lead against Panama. “We saw the last game that they played against Panama, when they drew. It’s a good team, well organised; they are fast in front, they have a good striker, (Ryan) Williams, who could be dangerous for us,” Ancelotti said.