Brazil football team coach Tite has not ruled out handing Philippe Coutinho a starting berth in Thursday's World Cup qualifier against Ecuador despite the midfielder's lack of recent playing time.
The 25-year-old has missed Liverpool's first three English Premier League (EPL) matches of the season after he submitted a transfer request amid interest from Barcelona, reports Xinhua news agency.
"We are going to choose the best team we have at our disposal," Tite told reporters on Sunday when asked whether Coutinho would play against Ecuador.
Brazil, who have already qualified for next year's World Cup in Russia, lead the South American zone qualifying standings with 33 points from 14 matches.
Thursday's match in Porto Alegre will be followed by another qualifier against Colombia in Barranquilla five days later.
--IANS
tri/bg
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