Spain vs Brazil Preview: Vinicius Junior is the key man

It is one of the glamour friendlies on the slate this week as two World Cup winners of this century face-off in a Friendly match in Madrid as Spain take on Brazil in a game that should be more than interesting for the neutral.

Our Madrid based La Liga correspondent has penned a Spain vs Brazil preview for us. He's also picked out two bets that he finds interesting. No surprise in who gets plenty of his focus and that is Real's star Brazilian, Vinícius Júnior...

Two former world champions meet in Madrid on Tuesday as Spain entertain Brazil in an international friendly. The game is live on Viaplay Sports Online with a 20:00 kick-off at the Santiago Bernabéu.

The fixture was initially arranged as an “anti-racism friendly” as a result of the abuse suffered by Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior in La Liga last season which created headlines around the world and led to widespread anger in Brazil. Vinicius will be in the away dressing room on Tuesday evening but is likely to be well received by a crowd that will be largely made up of Real Madrid supporters.

It’s the presence of another, soon to be Real Madrid forward that has dominated the news cycle over the past few days though. 17-year-old Endrick announced his arrival on the international stage with the winning goal at Wembley as Brazil beat England 1-0 on Thursday.

He still plays in his homeland with Palmeiras but has long since agreed to join Real Madrid when he turns 18 this summer. The latest in a long line of Brazilian wonderkids, this is a great opportunity for Endrick to show what he can do at what will soon be his home ground.

After the bitter disappointment of a Quarter Final World Cup exit against Croatia on penalties, 2023 has been referred to as a lost year for the Brazilian national team. Their pursuit of Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti ultimately failed and results on the pitch were poor with the year culminating in three straight World Cup qualifying defeats against Colombia, Argentina and Uruguay.

2024 feels like something of a reset with the experienced Dorival Junior taking charge. A victory over England was certainly a strong start and they’ll be hoping to back that up with another good result against another of the strongest European nations.

Spain meanwhile come into this match after their first friendly defeat in nearly eight years after they were beaten 1-0 by Colombia in London last week. The result also ended their 100% record in the 2023/24 season which came on the back of victory in the UEFA Nations League Finals last June.

Luis de la Fuente opted for quite an experimental line-up against the Colombians with Athletic Club defender Dani Vivian playing the full ninety minutes on debut while Real Sociedad goalkeeper Alex Remiro and 17-year-old Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsi won their first caps off the bench.

Regulars such as Rodri, Dani Carvajal and Unai Simon did not feature at all in the game. The Spain boss may not have learnt a great deal from the fixture with few of his fringe players really staking a strong claim and we should see a stronger Spanish eleven on Tuesday night.

Team News:

Like many international bosses during this break, Luis de la Fuente’s plans have been hampered by injuries. Barcelona duo Gavi and Pedri are big absentees in midfield while Valencia’s left back Jose Gaya withdrew from the squad due to injury.

Wholesale changes to the eleven that started in London are expected on Tuesday with Unai Simon, Dani Carvajal, Robin Le Normand, Rodri, Nico Williams, Alvaro Morata and Lamine Yamal all potentially coming in.

We should see a bit more continuity from Brazil with Dorival Junior hoping to build on the victory in England, although Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz and Tottenham’s Richarlison may both come into the starting eleven.

Their initial squad for these friendlies was hit by a number of injury withdrawals though with Ederson, Marquinhos, Gabriel Magalhães, Casemiro and Gabriel Martinelli all pulling out. That left a host of uncapped and inexperienced players in the squad and a number of those should win their first or second caps in this game.

Spain vs Brazil Odds:

Spain are the 23/20 favourites with the Draw at 23/10 and Brazil on offer at 12/5.

Both sides were involved in friendlies that only produced one goal on Thursday. If you fancy this game also ending with little goalmouth action, you can back Under 1.5 Goals at 2/1 while Both Teams to Score - No is priced at 10/11.

You can also take your pick between Only Spain to Score at 5/2 and Only Brazil to Score at 9/2 with Both Teams to Score on offer at 4/5.

Álvaro Morata leads the way in the Goalscorer markets. The Atlético Madrid man hasn’t been in the best of form lately but he looks certain to start this game and is priced at 9/2 to score first and 8/5 to score anytime.

Meanwhile, Richarlison is a strong candidate to come into the visiting eleven and he’s the only player in the Brazilian squad to have reached double figures for international goals. The Spurs striker is on offer at 7/1 to score first and 13/5 to score anytime.

Bet 1 - Double Chance - Brazil or Draw & Brazil Over 0.5 Goals @ 10/11

With Rodri expected to return in midfield, Spain should have much more control in the centre of the park in this game. It could fall into the fairly familiar pattern of their internationals over the past decade with La Roja dominating the possession and territory and their opponents looking to strike on the break.

Brazil are certainly not short on players who could exploit any space that is left in behind. They also feel like the team that has more cutting edge in the final third right now, particularly with Morata struggling since the turn of the year and I’m using the #PickYourPunt builder to back Double Chance - Brazil or Draw & Brazil Over 0.5 Goals @ 10/11.

Bet 2 - Vinícius Júnior to score anytime @ 3/1

Given the reasons why this friendly match was arranged, it’s hard to see Vinícius Júnior not starting and playing the majority of the game. Playing on his home ground should add that little bit of extra incentive and the likely duel between the left-sided forward and clubmate Dani Carvajal who should start at right back for Spain ought to keep the Bernabeu crowd entertained.

Vinícius Júnior actually has a surprisingly poor goalscoring record for his country, but his recent club form has been exceptional and it’s surely only a matter of time before he starts to deliver more regular goals for Brazil.

The 23-year-old has fired in six goals in his four Real Madrid appearances this month and he’s risen to the challenge whenever the spotlight has been on him which it unquestionably will be once more on Tuesday. Given that form, I like the look of odds of 3/1 for Vinícius Júnior to score anytime on a ground where he has excelled in recent weeks.

You can check out all of our Football Betting Tips, from the Premier League to La Liga to International Friendlies and a whole lot more on our main Football hub page.