Rivaldo kept his place in the Brazil squad on Thursday for next month's pair of World Cup qualifiers despite his lack of club football with AC Milan.

Rivaldo was among 17 foreign-based players called up by the world champions for the matches away to Peru on November 16 and at home to Uruguay three days later.

Five home-based players will be named on Tuesday to complete the squad for the third and fourth matches in Brazil's marathon campaign to qualify for the 2006 World Cup.

"The national team has been a great release for him," said Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira. "The fact that he is having the chance to play is giving him great motivation.

"We can't say he's been playing badly at AC Milan -- he simply hasn't been playing.

"Obviously, it would be wonderful if he was playing at his club, both for him and for us."

Sixteen of the players named by Parreira on Thursday were in the squad for the 2-1 win away to Colombia in Barranquilla and the 1-0 win at home to Ecuador in September.

Olympique Lyon midfielder Juninho Pernambucano was the only newcomer.

"There's still no need for any change as we liked the performances in the first two games," said Parreira.

"But we're in a permanent state of alert."

Although he predicted two difficult games, Parreira said his target was for Brazil to emerge with a maximum 12 points from their opening four matches.

"We have to think big," he said.

"We want to end the year with 12 points, that has to be the target. It would be an exceptional start."

Brazil are the first defending champions who have been forced to enter the qualifiers for the following tournament.

The South Americans are the only team to have played at all 17 World Cup tournaments.

Goalkeeper - Dida (AC Milan, Italy)

Defenders - Cafu (AC Milan, Italy), Belletti (Villarreal, Spain), Roberto Carlos (Real Madrid, Spain), Junior (Parma, Italy), Roque Junior (Leeds United, England), Lucio (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany), Edmilson (Olympique Lyon, France), Juan (Bayer Leverkusen, Spain)

Midfielders - Emerson (AS Roma, Italy), Gilberto Silva (Arsenal, England), Ze Roberto (Bayern Munich, Germany), Juninho Pernambucano (Olympique Lyon, France),

Forwards - Kaka (AC Milan), Ronaldinho (Barcelona, Spain), Ronaldo (Real Madrid, Spain) Rivaldo (AC Milan, Italy)

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