Brazil, the number one favorites for winning the World Cup 2018, need to go past their first obstacle on Sunday evening. They take on Switzerland, in a match that will take place at the Rostov Arena. There’s no doubt that Brazil are huge favorites to win this game, but do the Swiss have some jokers up their sleeves? Find out in this Brazil vs. Switzerland match preview!
Brazil
The biggest star in this team is Neymar, the world’s most expensive player, who was out of the action for several weeks due to an injury. But, Ney is back! And he’s playing fantastic. He scored an amazing goal in the friendly game against Croatia after an impressive solo effort. He scored against Austria as well, in a match that was played one week ago.
He might be their biggest star, but Brazil are much, much more than just Neymar. This team has plenty of top-quality players at each position on the pitch. So, it’s really not a big surprise that Brazil were very dominant in the World Cup qualifiers, finishing on the top spot on the table in South America. In 18 matches of the qualifiers, Brazil scored 41 goals and allowed only 11.
As you can see, not only they’re impressive in the attack, but they’re also very strong at the back. Their goalie, Alisson Becker, has been in the news lately, as he’s expected to join Real Madrid after the World Cup. Apart from having a world-class goalkeeper, Brazil also have amazing defenders – Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, Miranda, Marcelo, and so on.
Knowing all this, it’s fair to expect Brazil to demolish everyone who gets in their way. The question is do Swiss have a plan to stop the mighty Brazilians?
Switzerland
The Swiss had to take the long way to Russia, after ending on the second spot in the qualification group. They finished behind Portugal, even though the two teams had the same number of points. Actually, everything was decided in the last round of the qualifiers, in which Portugal beat Switzerland 2:0.
That meant that the Swiss had to play in the qualifiers in order to get to the World Cup. They drew Northern Ireland, a team that’s fairly weaker than them. But, they did struggle in the doubleheader, scoring only once. The result in the first match was 1:0 Switzerland, while the second leg finished without any goals.
That said, it seems that Switzerland’s strongest point is their defense. Their manager has two very good goalies to choose from – Sommer and Burki, not to mention that they have very strong and tall center-backs. I’m talking about Elvedi from Borussia Mönchengladbach, Manuel Akanji from Dortmund, Fabian Schar from Deportivo, and so on.
They also have amazing full-backs – new Arsenal player, Stephan Lichtsteiner on the right and AC Milan’s Ricardo Rodríguez on the right side. Switzerland also have top-quality defensive midfielders, most notably Granit Xhaka from Arsenal.
All considered, it seems that the Swiss are going to give Brazil a run for the money. Still, this doesn’t mean that Switzerland’s defense will actually be able to stand up to the Brazilians for the entire match. They’re good but not good enough for Neymar and Co.
Possible Lineups
Brazil:
Alisson – Silva, Miranda, Danilo, Marcelo – Casemiro, Fernandinho, Paulinho – Neymar, Coutinho, Gabriel Jesus
Switzerland:
Sommer – Schar, Elvedi, Lichtsteiner, Rodriguez – Xhaka, Behrami, Fernandes, Džemaili, Shaqiri – Seferović
Brazil vs. Switzerland Match Prediction
After a disaster that happened at the previous World Cup when they lost 7:1 to Germany, Brazil are now very eager to show the world their power. This is why you can be certain they will start their World Cup campaign in the fifth gear. Surely, the Swiss will work hard to stop them, but I very much doubt they will be able to do anything.
Brazil vs. Switzerland Betting Tips
- Brazil @1.40 (bet365)
- Neymar to Score Anytime @1.90 (bet365)