RIO DE JANEIRO, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Atletico Madrid central defender Felipe Augusto has been drafted into Brazil's squad for World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Bolivia, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said on Sunday.
The 32-year-old replaces Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes who has withdrawn from the 25-man list because of the scheduled birth of his first daughter.
Felipe has not represented his country since being used as a second-half substitute in a 5-0 home win over Bolivia in October 2020.
Brazil will meet Chile at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana stadium on March 24 and Bolivia in La Paz five days later.
Selecao boss Tite will also be without Raphinha for the matches after the Leeds forward tested positive for COVID-19 earlier on Sunday. The CBF did not immediately name a replacement for the 25-year-old.
The five-time world champions lead the South American zone standings and have already qualified for football's showpiece tournament, to be played in Qatar from November 21 to December 18. ■
