Brazil vs Chile Prediction: Hosts to shut out toothless visitors

Brazil can rest easy on Friday (01:30 BST) in their final home Fifa World Cup qualifier, having secured their place at the finals in June. The Selecao contest a dead rubber against Chile, who are bottom of the table after 16 games, at the Maracana.

This game doesn't mean much to either team but for the hosts they can start thinking about momentum heading into next summer's tournament. Read on for my Brazil vs Chile predictions, aided by the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti has done his former club Real Madrid a massive favour by not selecting Vinicius Jr., Rodrygo and Eder Militao for this camp, with qualification for the World Cup already secured.

Raphinha of Barcelona is the only La Liga representative in Ancelotti's squad this month.

Paris Saint-Germain captain Marquinhos is set to make his 100th appearance for the Selecao against Chile. He is by far the most experienced defender in the squad with the other seven call-ups having just 29 caps between them.

Manchester United's Matheus Cunha is absent after picking up an injury while playing for the Red Devils. The Premier League attackers in the squad are Chelsea's Joao Pedro and Estevao, Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli and Tottenham Hotspur's Richarlison.

Midfield-wise, Premier League talent dominates once again with Casemiro (Manchester United), Lucas Paqueta (West Ham United), Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle United) and Andrey Santos (Chelsea).

Football Odds

Chile boss Nicolas Cordova has dropped 13 players from the squad that was named in June, including Francisco Sierralta who was sent off in the 2-0 defeat against Bolivia.

Aging veterans Alexis Sanchez, Arturo Vidal and Charles Aranguiz have all been left out, which could spell the end of their international careers. Brayan Cortes is also not involved, so all three selected goalkeepers are uncapped.

Twenty members of this squad have made fewer than 10 appearances for La Roja, while nine are yet to make their international debuts.

Brazil vs Chile Odds

Brazil are the overwhelming favourites to win this clash at 2/11, but backing them to win to nil improves the odds at 8/13 (implied probability of 61.9%), as Chile have failed to score in their previous four outings.

Both teams have drawn four of their 16 qualifiers to date and the stalemate is available at 9/2.

Chile have won just two matches in qualifying and they are 12/1 to stun Ancelotti's men.

Brazil clean sheet @ 1/2

Yes, this is a dead rubber on paper and neither side have nothing to really fight for here, but we're still going to try and find some value in the markets. One that jumps out to me is a Brazil clean sheet, with the hosts recording shutouts in their last two qualifying matches.

As well as this, Chile have looked extremely toothless in attack, which is not going to be helped by this latest inexperienced squad Cordova has selected for this month's camp. La Roja have blanked in their last four outings, losing on three occasions.

Brazil may be missing some key figures, notably defensively, but I'd still back them to comfortably deal with whatever this Chile attack can throw at them.

Under 2.5 goals @ 1/1

This is a better-looking price and one that does seem feasible. A low volume of goals seems achievable in this clash because Chile are struggling to offer any sort of threat in attack, and Brazil are quite literally on the beach having already booked their World Cup spot for next summer.

Under 2.5 goals seems like it could be a shrewd selection inside the Maracana as it has been a frequent trend for the hosts of late, with four of their past six games featuring two goals or fewer.

This has also been a winning selection in each of Chile's last four contests and I do think this trend will continue for both teams on Friday.

Today's Football Fixtures

Offers

Opt in and place an In-Play single bet of £10 or more at odds of 1/2+ on any International match on Thursday and get £5 in Free Bets to use In-Play on Friday’s International Matches

Place a pre-match 5+ leg Football accumulator and get a CASH bonus up to 100% if all of your selections win or your money back as CASH if one leg lets you down

You can read all our latest Football Betting Tips at our dedicated Betfred Insights content hub.