Carlo Ancelotti is determined to find the right balance between Brazil’s style and his own ideas in their pre-World Cup friendly against France.
Brazil qualified for the World Cup by finishing fifth in the South American qualifying group, 10 points behind Argentina after winning just two of the final four games, all of which came under Ancelotti (D1 L1).
The first of four friendlies across March and June sees Brazil face France, with Croatia and Egypt to follow before their tournament opener against Morocco on June 13.
And Ancelotti wants to see a front-footed approach from his team, which is why he is prepared to field four forwards, though he knows they can not just rely on their play in the final third.
“In recent months, I’ve been thinking about the best playing style for the team, taking into account the players’ characteristics,” Ancelotti said.
“And we think it’s with four players up front. Tomorrow will be an important test: we want to play well, controlling the game, trying to defend well, which is very important, maintaining balance and showcasing the quality of the front four.”
Ancelotti was particularly wary of the threat that Kylian Mbappe will pose to his side.
Segundo dia de treino concluído com sucesso aqui em Orlando
Rafael Ribeiro/CBF pic.twitter.com/wgYvOoh5OU
— brasil (@CBF_Futebol) March 25, 2026
At the start of March, Real Madrid revealed Mbappe had aggravated a knee injury and subsequently missed five games before returning to action on Sunday against Atletico Madrid off the bench.
He is expected to play some part in Thursday’s match and has been in lethal form when he has played this term, scoring 38 goals and providing five assists in 35 games since the end of last year’s Club World Cup.
Ancelotti was in charge when Mbappe moved to Madrid, so he is well aware of how dangerous he can be to opposition defenders.
“Kylian Mbappe scored a lot of goals last year, now he’s an opponent,” Ancelotti added.
“We have to defend well against him. He’s a very quick player with quality and a very effective finisher.
“It’s very important for us to play with balance, while also staying focused on our own quality, which is very high.”