Carlo Ancelotti will take on Brazil in his first game as Brazil head coach when they travel to Ecuador on Thursday night. The former Real Madrid boss will replace Dorival Júnior, who was sacked after a 4-1 loss to Argentina in the March qualifying window, but Brazil are comfortably in the top six so don’t have to worry about missing out on the final.

Ancelotti has no time for a welcome party as Brazil have struggled mightily in qualifying so he must get them winning and playing attractive football right away. Brazil are six points clear of Venezuela in the top six but would be in serious danger of missing out on their first ever final if it weren’t for the expanded World Cup format.

Especially considering Brazil will be away to their current second-placed opponents and winning their final two home games against Paraguay and Chile might not be enough to move them up the table. Brazil's defeat to bitter rivals Argentina in March was destined to end Dorival Júnior's tenure, but the outgoing manager has put Ancelotti in a fairly comfortable position.

Brazil looked like they might not even make the top six, but with 11 points out of 15 already secured before heading to Buenos Aires, which all but guarantees the Selecao's participation in next summer's World Cup, Ancelotti now has the chance to implement his ideas with less pressure. Despite their opponents' poor form in this period, Dorival beat Ecuador in the reverse fixture, with Rodrigo scoring the only goal in the September clash to win 1-0.

Ecuador has not beaten Brazil since 2004 and is now winless in 13 games, but Sebastian Beccasese's side have performed well in qualifying. Despite the three-point deduction at the start, the hosts are currently second behind Argentina, having collected 26 points from 14 games.

Ecuador have been particularly strong at home, remaining unbeaten at home and having amassed 17 points from seven games. Only Colombia and Paraguay have managed to win away to Ecuador in the group, and even then they could only manage a 0-0 draw against Becasese’s side. The hosts have conceded just two goals in those seven games, but they still have to face Brazil and Argentina before qualifying, which will be a real test of their quality, especially as their only two defeats in the group have come against those two teams. A 0-0 draw away to Chile did end Ecuador’s three-match winning streak last time out, but there is no doubt that they will qualify for their second consecutive World Cup this month.

Ecuador predicted starting lineup:

Galíndez; Ordonez, Pacho, Hincapie, Estupinan; Preciado, Witte, Caicedo, Franco, Plata; Valencia

Brazil predicted starting lineup:

Alisson; Van Dersen, Danilo, Marquinhos, Carlos Augusto; Bruno Guimaraes, Gerson; Rafinha, Cunha, Vinicius Junior; Richarlison