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Australia's Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt is confident his team will cover the absences of Nick Kyrgios and Alex de Minaur in the looming tie against Brazil.

Australia's Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt has a blunt message for his depleted team: sink or swim.

And he's confident Australia's makeshift cup squad will thrive in troubled waters: a tie against against Brazil without injured aces Nick Kyrgios and Alex de Minaur.

"You can either sink or swim in Davis Cup and playing for Australia and I have got a lot of confidence in these boys," Hewitt told reporters on Tuesday.

"They are going to put in a hell of an effort."

With his top-ranked players de Minaur (abdominal) and Kyrgios (wrist) sidelined, Hewitt could blood two cup debutants, James Duckworth and Alex Bolt.

John Millman, Jordan Thompson and John Peers round out Hewitt's team for the tie against the South Americans starting in Friday in Adelaide.

"It's not like I'm looking at this week as we're coming in as underdogs," Hewitt said.

"I'm very happy with the guys I have got in the team and I have full belief in what they can do.

"I think all five of them will play well for Australia, even the guys that haven't played before.

"All these guys, especially Ducks and Bolty, have been around a lot of ties - they have been hitting partners, orange boys and done a lot of work for the team.

"And I love the story that goes with those guys ... these guys have come and made and effort on numerous occasions to go out of their way to help everyone else.

"What I have installed into them is that this is your time now boys."

Hewitt said he would settle on his combinations later this week, with Friday's two opening singles matches followed on Saturday by a doubles match and reverse singles.

The winner of the tie advances to the cup finals in Spain in November.