World Cup 2018: 3 Brazilians who should start against Belgium

The group stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup gave us just the right number of upsets to yield a staggering knockout draw, and now with the quarter-finals upon us, we have some mouth-watering ties to look forward to, including the sumptuous Brazil vs Belgium clash.

With players returning from injury and suspensions also playing a part, Brazil are expected to make changes to their playing XI. Here are three Brazilians who should return to the starting XI for this crunch match:

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#1 Roberto Firmino

It is easy to see why coaches love Gabriel Jesus. Young and talented, with a tremendous work ethic, and possessing the distinctive Brazilian flair, he is the poster boy of the next generation of wonderkids in the Seleção.

It is also easy to see why fans love Roberto Firmino. Coming off the back of his most productive domestic season to date with 27 goals in just 54 appearances, he is well and truly in the form of his life. He has also reinvented the role of the false 9 in English domestic football and flashes a smile that is begging to be featured on toothpaste packaging.

Each of his appearances off the bench so far this tournament has instantaneously improved Brazil's attacking threat on the day. For all of Jesus' talent, Firmino has the better rapport with Coutinho and Neymar, and his presence on the pitch makes them more lethal as well.

If there ever was a match where Tite should start Firmino over Jesus, it is this one. Vincent Kompany would have mentored Jesus at Manchester City, his experience should enable him to handle Jesus pretty comfortably. Firmino, on the other hand, is slightly more dynamic across the front three and will pose a greater challenge to the Belgian backline.

#2 Marcelo

He's back, and good to go...

A back injury forced Marcelo off the field less than ten minutes into their last group stage game against Serbia and sidelined him from the Round of 16 tie against Mexico. Filipe Luis was drafted in for those 170 minutes and did a fine job under the circumstances.

But Marcelo is arguably the best left-back in the world at the moment, and his performances over the last few years have been nothing short of stunning both defensively and offensively. It is safe to say that as long as he is fit, he will walk right back into the starting XI for a tie of this magnitude.

In addition, while Meunier has been impressive for Belgium at right wing-back, he has been found wanting defensively at times during the tournament. Marcelo is more than capable of exploiting this weakness on the attack while countering Meunier's attacking threat as well.

#3 Fernandinho

How well does Fernandinho know his friends turned foes?

Casemiro is ruled out of the game due to suspension (two yellow cards accrued in prior games) and coach Tite will need to find a replacement for him in the middle of the park.

With all due respect to Renato Augusto and Taison, it will boil down to either of Fred or Fernandinho. While Fred is a lively player and does have the talent to step in for Casemiro, for a tie of this nature, Fernandinho is the man Brazil needs.

Fernandinho has the calmness and composure to deal with the Belgian attacking flair and creative talents. He will surely know the ins and outs of De Bruyne's game from their time together at Manchester City, and will have played against Hazard more than any other Brazilian midfielder in the squad.

In a crunch match like this that will likely be decided by a lapse of judgement more than a spark of brilliance, Fernandinho is the perfect choice to be tasked with the challenge of screening the defenders from the likes of Hazard and De Bruyne.