Vinicius Jr, Gabriel, Raphinha among Brazil stars set to play in Singapore friendlies

SINGAPORE – Football fans in Singapore are in for a Samba treat as some of football’s biggest stars are set to grace The Kallang’s National Stadium in November.

Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr, Arsenal duo Gabriel Magalhaes and Bruno Guimaraes, as well as Barcelona forward Raphinha are part of Brazil’s squad for the world No.6 side’s upcoming international friendlies against Japan and Singapore here.

The 26-man squad, unveiled by Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti on Oct 29, also features 15 players under the age of 23, signalling a move towards developing the next generation of Samba kings.

Other notable names in the five-time world champion’s squad for the Mizuho Blue Challenge – The Kallang Football Series Singapore include Chelsea’s 19-year-old rising star Estevao and Vinicius’ clubmate Endrick.

The tournament will see four matches played between Nov 13 and 17.

Hosts Singapore will take on Paraguay in the opening game on Nov 13, before a rematch of Brazil and Japan’s World Cup pulsating round-of-32 clash, which Brazil won 2-1, takes place on Nov 14.

The series concludes on Nov 17 with Singapore playing Brazil before world No.17 Japan take on 34th-ranked Paraguay, who beat Germany in the round of 32 at the World Cup.

Tickets for the Lions’ opening game against Paraguay start from $28, while those for the Brazil-Japan match are priced from $98. Fans will get the chance to watch both Nov 17 matches on a single ticket, also from $98.

Tickets can be found online at The Kallang’s website.

Laura Chia is a journalist covering breaking news and current affairs, with an interest in sports.