The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying tournament begins this Thursday for the CONMEBOL confederation. Four of the 10 South American national teams will automatically qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, and it all begins this week.

Brazil and Chile will face each other this week in a classic South American rivalry. Let's preview the game and pick a winner.

Brazil (7)

When it comes to the biggest stages, Brazilian fans have been through a lot lately. In last year's FIFA World Cup, they were blown out at home by the Germans, and the Copa America didn't go great either. Brazil lost to Colombia 2-1, and Neymar was suspended because if his headbutt. Neymar still has two more games remaining on his suspension handed down by FIFA, so he will miss this game and the next match against Venezuela.

Brazil is ranked No. 7 in the world, but not everyone agrees with that. Despite a disappointing Copa America, Brazil has rebounded to win their last two international friendlies, against the United States and Costa Rica. Brazil won the last meeting between these two squads back in March when they faced off in London, England.

Jefferson de Oliveira Galvão will get the start in net for Brazil by head coach Dunga. Without Neymar on the field, Hulk, who has had a great year, will have to step up and find the back of net. Kaká and Oscar create a nice middle field, but defense is the big concern for Brazil. Thiago Silva won't be starting for Brazil, but he could come off the bench for a substitution. Robinho, who is Brazil's most capped player at the moment, may also get some playing time.

Restoring confidence with three points among the fans it just what Brazil needs.

Chile (9)

Chile may have dropped to No. 9 in the FIFA rankings, but don't let that fool you. Chile is one of the hottest teams in the world, certainly South America. Jorge Sampaoli's team won the 2015 Copa America over Lionel Messi and Argentina in a dramatic shootout victory. Only Argentina, Colombia and Brazil rank higher at the moment among South American teams.

Team captain Claudio Bravo, who is the most capped player in the history of Chile, is back from a calf injury. He will get the start in net against Brazil. The brilliance of Chile lies within their balance as they have no glaring weakness. Arturo Vidal, Jean Beausejour and Matías Fernández create possibly the best middle field in the world. Gary Medel will get the start on defense alongside Gonzalo Jara. Naturally, Eduardo Vargas and Alexis Sánchez will be the two best forwards for Chile in this game.

Since their loss to Brazil back in March, Chile has not lost a single game. In that time span they have won seven games and tied with Mexico once in a 3-3 international friendly.

Schedule

Chile and Brazil will play each other on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m. EDT on the beIN Sports network. The game will be played at the Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos in Santiago, Chile. You can watch a live game stream here.

Prediction

Chile is a far more balanced squad than Brazil and playing at home will only help. Hulk has had a great year, but Chile's defense should be able to lock him up. Chile will control the time of possession limiting the number of shots on goal for Brazil attackers.

Chile wins 2-1

Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter @DamonSalvadore1