The attacking midfielder will have to settle for a spot on the bench on Thursday as Oscar takes his place, but could be in contention for a role against Russia next week

Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has revealed Real Madrid midfielder Kaka will not start in Thursday’s international friendly against Italy.

The 30-year-old was hopeful of featuring from the beginning versus the Euro 2012 finalists, but Scolari has opted for Chelsea’s Oscar instead for the attacking-midfield slot.

“Kaka will start from the bench, but the idea is to use him at some point during the game,” Scolari told reporters.

“Let’s see what happens during the game. We want him to show his potential, to see if he is in condition or not and see how he fits in with the other players.

“He will maybe start against Russia [on Monday].”

Brazil XI against Italy: Julio Cesar; Daniel Alves, Thiago Silva (Dante), David Luiz, Filipe Luis; Fernando, Hernanes, Oscar; Hulk, Neymar, Fred.

Thursday’s encounter in Geneva is scheduled to kick off at 20:30CET.