Author: Chandra Moulee Das
Atlético-MG left-back Guilherme Arana has been called up to the Brazil squad for the decisive 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Uruguay in October. He takes the place of Caio Henrique, from Monaco, who unfortunately had to withdraw.
Guilherme Arana will make a significant return to the pitch after an absence of more than a year. Initially scheduled to compete in the Qatar World Cup, he suffered a serious injury to his left knee in September 2022, which required surgery. The 26-year-old Olympic champion currently has four caps with the national team.
On the other hand, Caio Henrique suffered a setback due to a sprained ligament in his left knee, which forced him to undergo surgery. He suffered the injury during Monaco’s recent 1-0 defeat to Nice. Although there is no definite timetable for his return, it is expected to be a matter of several months.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Monaco simply confirmed that Caio had suffered “a sprained left knee with anterior cruciate ligament damage”.aio had already been called up by the coach for the previous two matches and made his debut in the Brazil shirt in the 5-1 win against Bolivia. Unfortunately, the former Fluminense full-back suffered an injury and had to be ruled out. Pressed by the opposing defense on the left flank, Caio tried to clear the ball with his back to his marker. It was when he lowered his left leg that the injury was felt. He remained in the game for a few more minutes, but was substituted in the 37th minute.
This season, Caio leads the Ligue 1 in assists, with four in six games. However, Monaco faced their first defeat of 2023/24, dropping to fourth place on 11 points, with Brest taking the lead on 13 points.
In addition to Caio, Renan Lodi, from Olympique de Marseille, was also chosen as the other left-back in Fernando Diniz’s team. As current leaders of the Qualifiers after two rounds, Brazil will face Venezuela on October 12. He will then travel to Uruguay for the centenary match on October 17.
List of players called up
- Goalkeepers: Alisson (Liverpool), Ederson (Manchester City) and Lucas Perri (Botafogo)
- Sides: Danilo (Juventus), Vanderson (Monaco), Guilherme Arana (Atlético-MG), Renan Lodi (Marseille)
- Defenders: Bremer (Juventus), Marquinhos (PSG), Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal), Nino (Fluminense)
- Midfielders: André (Fluminense), Casemiro (Manchester United), Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle), Gerson (Flamengo), Raphael Veiga (Palmeiras)
- Strikers: Neymar (Al-Hilal), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid), Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal), Richarlison (Tottenham), Raphinha (Barcelona) and Matheus Cunha (Wolverhampton)