Uncapped Real Sociedad striker Willian Jose and Besiktas midfielder Anderson Talisca were the surprise inclusions in Brazil’s squad to face Russia and Germany in friendlies later this month, as head coach Tite announced his squad yesterday.
Both men were given the chance to impress in what was a larger than usual 25-man squad, Tite’s last before naming the 23 who will go to the World Cup in Russia. 
“Willian Jose and Talisca bring different components,” Tite told reporters. 
“Willian Jose has had two great seasons at Real Sociedad, really developing as a player.
“Talisca can finish from mid-distance, from balls in the air, he has a physical presence that can be an advantage against defences set up in lines of four or five.”
The inclusion of Valencia goalkeeper Neto and 32-year-old Gremio captain Pedro Geromel were also unexpected. Neto got his first call up in 2010 but has never played for the national side. Geromel’s only appearance for Brazil was in a friendly against Colombia in 2017 to raise money for the victims of the Chapecoense airline disaster. Brazil play Russia in Moscow on March 23 and then face World Cup winners Germany in Berlin four days later.
The five-times world champions kick off their World Cup campaign against Switzerland on June 17 before facing Costa Rica and Serbia.
They have lost just once in the 17 matches since Tite took over, 1-0 to Argentina in a 2017 friendly in Australia, but the match against Germany in particular will be a big test and the first time they have faced the Europeans since they went down 7-1 in the World Cup semi-final four years ago.

SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Alisson (Roma/ITA), Neto (Valencia/ESP), Ederson (Man City/ENG),
Defenders: Daniel Alves (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Fagner (Corinthians) Filipe Luis (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Marcelo (Real Madrid/ESP), Miranda (Inter Milan/ITA), Marquinhos (PSG/FRA), Thiago Silva (PSG/FRA), Geromel (Gremio), Rodrigo Caio (Sao Paulo),
Midfielders: Casemiro (Real Madrid/ESP) Fernandinho (Manchester City/ENG), Fred (Shakhtar Donestk/UKR), Paulinho (Barcelona/ESP), Renato Augusto (Beijing Guoan/CHN), Willian (Chelsea/ENG), Philippe Coutinho (Barcelona/ESP), Talisca (Besiktas/TUR),
Forwards: Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City/ENG), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool/ENG), Douglas Costa (Juventus/ITA), Willian Jose (Real Sociedad/ESP), Taison (Shakhtar Donestk/UKR).


Russia recall Cheryshev and Selikhov
AFP/Moscow
Russia coach Stanislav Cherchesov has recalled Villarreal midfielder Denis Cheryshev and Spartak Moscow goalkeeper Alexander Selikhov for World Cup warm-up matches against Brazil and France later this month.
The World Cup hosts will take on five-time world champions Brazil at Moscow’s renovated Luzhniki Stadium on March 23, while the friendly with the 1998 World Cup winners France will take place in St Petersburg four days later.
Russia have recently lost Spartak full-back Georgy Dzhikiya and CSKA Moscow defender Viktor Vasin to serious cruciate knee ligament injuries, while Mario Fernandes of CSKA has a hip injury.
As a result, Cherchesov has recalled Andrei Semenov of Akhmat Grozny and Lokomotiv Moscow winger Vladislav Ignatiev. Meanwhile, former Real Madrid player Cheryshev, who has recovered completely from a string of injuries, will get the chance to win his first cap since 2015 and 10th overall. Spartak ‘keeper Selikhov is called up for the first time.
Cherchesov has also called up two players with experience of the German Bundesliga - Fenerbahce defender Roman Neustadter and Konstantin Rausch, who joined Dynamo Moscow in the last winter transfer window. However, Neustadter is a doubt after suffering a neck injury. 
Zenit striker Alexander Kokorin and Krasnodar forward Fedor Smolov, the top scorer in the Russian league in the last two seasons and leading the way again this season, will spearhead Russia’s attack.

Squad
Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeev (CSKA Moscow), Vladimir Gabulov (Club Brugge/BEL), Andrei Lunev (Zenit St Petersburg), Alexander Selikhov (Spartak Moscow)
Defenders: Vladimir Granat, Fedor Kudryashov (both Rubin Kazan), Yury Zhirkov, Igor Smilnikov (both Zenit St Petersburg), Vladislav Ignatiev (Lokomotiv Moscow), Dmitry Kombarov, Ilya Kutepov (both Spartak Moscow), Roman Neustadter (Fenerbahce/TUR), Konstantin Rausch (Dynamo Moscow), Andrei Semenov (Akhmat Grozny)
Midfielders: Denis Glushakov, Roman Zobnin, Alexander Samedov (all Spartak Moscow), Alexander Golovin, Alan Dzagoev (both CSKA Moscow), Alexander Erokhin, Daler Kuzyayev (both Zenit St Petersburg), Anton Miranchuk, Alexei Miranchuk (both Lokomotiv Moscow), Denis Cheryshev (Villareal/ESP), Anton Shvets (Akhmat Grozny)
Forwards: Anton Zabolotny, Alexander Kokorin (both Zenit St Petersburg), Fedor Smolov (Krasnodar).