It has been a discussion for the entirety of Brazil’s training sessions in Doha leading up to tonight’s game vs Serbia: Will Vinicius Jr be a starter for Brazil?

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The answer, on the surface, is a no-brainer. But several reports in Spain and Brazil stated throughout the month that Tite may see Vinicius as a player who comes off the bench in the second half. In the build-up to this tournament, Tite has allowed Vinicius and Neymar to co-exist by putting Neymar higher up the pitch in a central position while Vinicius takes the left-wing.

But reports also indicated that Tite is worried about defensive balance and what it might mean for the team’s structure if Vinicius and Neymar started together in the tournament.

But a report in Marca today states that Vinicius will start against Serbia tonight, and that report is backed up by the fact that Tite’s last training session had the team’s starters (which include Vinicius) playing in a 4-4-2. In that formation, Vinicius and Raphinha took the left and right wing respectively, while Neymar and Richarlison played up front. The two central midfielders in the double pivot were Casemiro and Paqueta. Real Madrid’s Eder Militao will likely be on the bench, as Thiago Silva and Marquinhos will start.