Fansided

Brazil vs. Ecuador live stream: Watch World Cup qualifying online

By Clemente Lisi

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - MARCH 28: Neymar (L) of Brazil struggles for the ball with Dario Veron of Paraguay during a match between Brazil and Paraguay as part of 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Qualifier at Arena Corinthians on March 28, 2017 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - MARCH 28: Neymar (L) of Brazil struggles for the ball with Dario Veron of Paraguay during a match between Brazil and Paraguay as part of 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Qualifier at Arena Corinthians on March 28, 2017 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Brazil host Ecuador at the Arena do Gremio on Thursday, Aug. 31. Here’s all the info you need to watch.

With Brazil already qualified for Russia 2018, the five-time World Cup champions will host Ecuador in a game the visitors need to win more desperately than the home team. As is always the case, Brazil will play to win, especially before a home crowd.

It will also be Neymar’s first game with the national team since his blockbuster move earlier this month from Barcelona to PSG. The 25-year-old striker is sure to get a hero’s welcome once he steps onto the field at the 56,000-seat Arena do Gremio in Porto Alegre in the southern part of the country. Neymar is the heart and soul of the Selecao, still rebuilding following the humiliating 7-1 loss to Germany in the semifinals of the 2014 World Cup, but on something of a high after last year’s Olympic gold medal, but .

Rested for the team’s pair of June friendlies — a 1-0 loss to Argentina and a 4-0 win against Australia — Neymar will play alongside his new PSG teammates Thiago Silva, Marquinhos and Dani Alves. Aside from the PSG quartet, the team managed by Tite is oozing with talent. Among that talent expected to take the field Thursday is Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho, who has been deemed fit for national team duty. Coutinho is yet to make an appearance for Liverpool this season (left out of the team with a back injury), following repeated bids from Barcelona. Brazil’s national team medical staff blamed his Liverpool absences to stress, telling ESPN Brazil this week that Coutinho has been “a bit anxious about the possibility of changing club.”

Tite, who replaced Dunga in June 2016 after Brazil’s poor performance at the Copa America Centenario, has led the national team to an unprecedented eight consecutive victories in qualifying. After playing Ecuador in his hometown of Porto Alegre, Brazil, who are in first place in the CONMEBOL standings with a 10-3-1 record, will travel to Barranquilla on Sept. 5 to play Colombia.

Ecuador, meanwhile, are currently sixth place with a 6-2-6 record and in dire need of a victory to keep their qualification hopes alive. There are a few factors working against Ecuador. First, Brazil have never lost a World Cup qualifier at home. Second, one of Ecuador’s key players, Swansea striker Jefferson Montero, has been seriously affected by a series of injuries. Ecuador had gotten off to a very strong start in qualifying, but two recent loses to Colombia and Paraguay have badly damaged the team’s hopes of reaching Russia.

Next: All live stream info in one place

Date: Thursday, Aug. 31
Start time: 8:45 p.m. ET
Location: Porto Alegre, Brazil
Stadium: Arena do Gremio
TV Info: beIN Sports
Live Stream: beIN Sports, Fubo.TV 

Ecuador will need to pull off a big upset to stay with the top of the pack.

Home/World Cup