Brazil coach Tite says Philippe Coutinho will start as a substitute for the team's upcoming World Cup qualifier against Ecuador.
Coutinho has not appeared in Liverpool's first five matches of the 2017-18 season as he looks force a move to Barcelona after handing in a transfer request.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp initially put the Brazilian's absence down to a back injury and then later said the player had developed an illness.
Tite told a news conference ahead of Thursday's match: "Willian is playing well. To keep things fair, he will start and Coutinho will be an option.
"A player of Coutinho's level, if he is fit, he would be recalled. He had his [back] problem and the diagnosis was for him to make the transition to the pitch.
"We were in constant contact with the team doctor, the physios and the coaching staff at Liverpool, so that there would be no chance that we would be compromising the health of a player of his level.
"We called him 15 days before the match. I have the understanding that this is a transfer window where there are big possibilities of players changing clubs, and I have to be aware of that. It's a reality because it affects the emotions, the life of an athlete, the life of the clubs.
"At the same time, the most important consideration is the Brazilian national team. An athlete like Coutinho, with his skills, at that moment at their peak, he was drafted. He had his problem. How big was it? We can answer only after he arrives here, I have this responsibility to share this with you.
"The medical department did an evaluation, we had a transition process, we contacted Liverpool's doctor, our physical trainer contacted theirs, Edu Gaspar [Brazil team's director] spoke with the managers there. I didn't speak with Klopp because I don't speak English, but Gaspar does and spoke with him.
"We did this in order to not have risks with the athlete but, at the same time, we do not give up on the possibility of having an athlete of the quality of Coutinho. Regarding Willian, he has been playing, he is doing great so, in fairness, he will start the match and Coutinho is benched."
Liverpool have rejected three bids from Barcelona for Coutinho so far this summer, with the Premier League club's owners, Fenway Sports Group, saying: "No offers for Philippe will be considered and he will remain a member of Liverpool Football Club when the summer window closes."
Barcelona have until the end of the week to try to force through a deal, with the Spanish transfer window closing on Friday.
Tite was asked whether he has advised Coutinho to stay at Anfield or leave for Spain, and the 56-year-old said the playmaker should "go to the place where he will feel the happiest."
He added: "I spoke with Coutinho and expressed my views to him and to Willian.
"I told him what I have said to you before, I told him that I hoped he was in a place where he feels happy. If it is at Liverpool, I will be happy. If it is a move to Barcelona, I will be happy. Not only to him, but to all the other players.
"The rest I do not touch, I have to know where my limits are. I don't need to have an opinion about everything. I don't need to be a guy who likes to show off how I do things, to say something in order to get a reaction.
"I am more discreet on the matter, and also fair, and the fair thing to say is: 'Be happy!' I don't know which club [he] will be at but us, the Brazilian national team, we will not give up the opportunity to have him here with us."