Will Endrick play for Brazil vs Colombia in their World Cup qualifier?

Brazil are preparing for an extremely important clash against Colombia in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, and the huge question that hangs over the head of manager Fernando Diniz is simple: will Endrick play?

The journalists at Diniz’s pre-game press conference were asked to clam down by Diniz who said that his priority was to protect who he called “a very special player”. Endrick, at just 17-years-old is already a media sensation and has plenty of people and brands following him since his explosion onto the football scene in the Brazilian league.

Will Endrick play against Colombia?

Fernando Diniz has a few big names missing from his squad this time around, including Al-Hilal forward, Neymar, who will leave a huge hole in the attacking line of the side. As such, questions have been raised about whether or not to start the young Palmeiras forward, so much so that Diniz told reporters that “expectations must be lowered” regarding the player in another move to deflect media hype.

The tone and content of the comments from the manager lead one to believe that Fernando Diniz will leave Endrick on the bench in the “tough” game against Colombia, potentially opting for a more experienced front three of Vini Jr, Rodrygo and Raphinha.

However, surprises could be in store as Endrick is in fantastic form for his domestic side and has scored nine goals so far, which puts him as the club’s top scorer so far this season. He has four goals in his last four games and could well fill the gap left by Neymar, who has been sidelined by Al-Hilal.

The game between Colombia and Brazil will be played on November 16 with kick off at 7:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 p.m. PT. After that, Brazil play Argentina at the Maracaná on Tuesday 21 November 2023 with kick-off at 7.30 p.m. ET / 4.30 p.m. PT.