FootyDream

Regarded by many as the favourites to go all the way at the 2022 World Cup, five-time world champions Brazil kick off their Group G campaign against Serbia at the Lusail Stadium on Thursday.

The two nations will renew acquaintances with one another after locking horns in the group stage four years ago, when the Selecao came out on top with a 2-0 victory.

Match preview

Brazil have arrived in Qatar as the only nation in World Cup history to have qualified for every tournament since the first edition back in 1930 following a record-breaking CONMEBOL qualification campaign, collecting more points (45) than ever before after winning 14 and drawing three of their 17 matches.

The Selecao rarely struggle in qualifying and they have had few problems in the group stage over the years too, as they are unbeaten in their last 15 World Cup group fixtures since losing 2-1 to Norway back in 1998.

However, 20 years have passed since Brazil got their hands on their fifth World Cup in Seoul and the pressure is on Tite’s talented squad – ranked number one in the world by FIFA – to live up to the pre-tournament hype and improve on their quarter-final exit against Belgium four years ago.

Serbia will be the first nation to put Brazil’s credentials to the test, but the Selecao are oozing confidence ahead of Thursday’s encounter as they boast a 15-game unbeaten run across all competitions, winning each of their last seven in the process by an aggregate score of 26-2.

Brazil have won both of their previous two meetings against Serbia without conceding, and a slender 1-0 defeat to South American rivals Argentina in the 2021 Copa America final was the last time that Tite’s men suffered defeat in any competition.

After crashing out in the group stage at their previous three World Cup finals since gaining independence in 1990, there is a sense of optimism that Serbia can finally reach the knockout rounds for the first time in Qatar.

The Eagles, ranked 25th in the world by FIFA, impressed in UEFA qualifying and topped their group after winning six and drawing two of their eight matches, including a last-gasp 2-1 triumph over Portugal in their final fixture.

Dragan Stojkovic’s side then secured promotion to League A of the UEFA Nations League earlier this year, courtesy of four wins and a draw from six matches. Indeed, the slender 1-0 defeat against Norway in June is one of only two losses suffered in their last 16 internationals across all competitions.

Form on European soil has been impressive, but transferring that onto the global stage is the task that Stojkovic and co are now faced with, and they could not begin their World Cup campaign against a more daunting prospect than five-time world champions Brazil.

Serbia have lost seven of their nine World Cup matches in total, the most defeats by any European nation and just one less than Australia’s unwanted record of eight, and a resilient performance is required if they wish to claim at least a draw on Thursday.

Team News

Brazil boss Tite is set to have a fully-fit squad available for Thursday’s contest, with Antony, Bruno Guimaraes and Alex Telles all recovering from minor problems.

If reports are to be believed, the Selecao could deploy either a 4-1-4-1 or 4-2-3-1 formation, with captain Thiago Silva starting in the back four alongside Danilo, Marquinhos and Alex Sandro, shielding first-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker.

Casemiro and Lucas Paqueta are the two most likely candidates to line up in centre-midfield, while star man Neymar could operate in the number 10 role either side of wingers Raphinha and Vinicius Junior.

Tottenham Hotspur’s Richarlison, who has recovered from a calf strain in time for the World Cup, is set to be given the nod ahead of Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus to lead the line.

As for Serbia, Aleksandar Mitrovic has not fully recovered from an ankle injury and is expected to begin on the substitutes’ bench, with Luka Jovic in line to start up front alongside Dusan Vlahovic.

Stojkovic is set to revert to a three-man defence after lining up with four at the back in the 5-1 friendly win over Bahrain last week, with Strahinja Pavlovic hoping to join Nikola Milenkovic and Stefan Mitrovic at centre-back.

All three defenders could be tasked with shielding goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, who is expected to start between the sticks ahead of Marko Dmitrovic and Predrag Rajkovic despite having won only seven caps for the national team.

Sevilla’s Nemanja Gudelj is poised to start in centre-midfield alongside Lazio star Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, with Andrija Zivkovic and Filip Kostic providing width as wing-backs, while captain Dusan Tadic is set to start in the number 10 role.

Brazil possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Danilo, Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, Sandro; Casemiro, Paqueta; Raphinha, Neymar, Vinicius Jr; Richarlison

Serbia possible starting lineup:
V. Milinkovic-Savic; Milenkovic, S. Mitrovic, Pavlovic; Zivkovic, Gudelj, S. Milinkovic-Savic, Kostic; Tadic; Vlahovic, Jovic

Two-time winners Uruguay open their 2022 World Cup campaign against South Korea at the Education City Stadium on Thursday.

La Celeste have been in excellent form since Diego Alonso took over from Oscar Tabarez at the end of last year.

Match preview

The sacking of Tabarez as Uruguay boss following 15 years in the job has thrown their preparation into disarray, despite the positive results they are getting on the pitch.

Alonso has come in and completely transformed a side which was on the floor following some woeful results in South American qualifying, but he still does not know his best starting XI or best system.

Tabarez was dismissed as manager with qualification in serious doubt after four successive defeats, including a humiliating 4-1 loss in Brazil and a 3-0 defeat away in the notoriously difficult altitude of Bolivia.

However, with four qualifiers left after the New Year, Alonso came in and won all four, with impressive away wins to Chile and Paraguay being the highlights, and Luis Suarez still at the centre of everything good in the national side.

He is still undecided on which formation best suits his side though, as 4-4-2 and a 4-3-2-1 have both been used often, but are ultimately untested against strong opposition.

The finer details will not matter as long as they keep up this level of performance in attack and defence though, as they have conceded just twice in his nine games in charge.

Getting the best out of their wide array of attacking options will be important, and Suarez, Darwin Nunez, Edinson Cavani and Maxi Gomez have all been among the goals this year, with Uruguay averaging two goals per game.

Alonso has repeatedly stated pre-tournament that they are aiming to be world champions, and on current form they cannot be discounted.

South Korea, meanwhile, come into the tournament with an under-fire manager and a squad which has underwhelmed in the build up to Qatar.

In addition to this, the worst possible turn of events struck the side on the eve of the tournament, with Son Heung-min going off injured in the Champions League, requiring surgery on a fractured eye socket.

He has stated he will do whatever it takes to play, because without him, it will affect South Korea both mentally and ability-wise on the pitch.

If manager Paulo Bento opts to risk him from the start, there is also the chance he will not be 100% having had such a disruptive preparation to the tournament.

With their attacking star a doubt, that will put more pressure on their solid defence, but after conceding just three goals in their 10 AFC final stage qualifiers, they have proved they can be relied upon.

Despite their famous win over Germany in Russia, they were left massively disappointed following losses to Mexico and Sweden which saw them eliminated at the group stage.

They find themselves in a very competitive group once again in which they will need to cause at least one upset if they are to progress.

Team News

Ronald Araujo may not be risked in this group opener for Uruguay as the Barcelona defender has been fast-tracked back into training following a thigh operation, so Diego Godin may come in to deputise alongside his old partner Jose Maria Gimenez.

Manager Alonso has a decision to make in goal, as Fernando Muslera, who has been a regular for over 13 years, has been ousted recently by Sergio Rochet, who has played in many of the internationals under the new manager.

The formation he chooses to go with will have a huge bearing on the squad selection too, as Nunez will only get a start out wide given the undroppable stature of Suarez up front.

However, Facundo Pellistri and Giorgian de Arrascaeta are more in favour with the manager to start in attack alongside Suarez, meaning Cavani is expected to be a substitute too.

Son has said he will happily “take a risk” in order to play whenever he is needed at this World Cup, and he is desperately needed in this South Korea side, but there remains doubts about his level of fitness and preparation.

Kim Min-jae played every qualifier, being instrumental behind their excellent defensive record while impressing for Fenerbahce, and he is now doing the same at the top level with a Napoli side dominating in Serie A and the Champions League.

Bento continues to be criticised for his style of play though, as Korea are often not adventurous enough, and that is blamed on the manager opting not to pick many creative players in his side.

Lee Kang-in is one of those players who has proved his creative capabilities in La Liga with Real Mallorca this season, but he is underused by Bento to the frustration of the fans.

Uruguay possible starting lineup:
Rochet; Varela, Godin, Gimenez, Olivera; Bentancur, Vecino, Valverde; De Arrascaeta, L Suarez, Nunez

South Korea possible starting lineup:
Kim Seung-gyu; Kim Moon-hwan, Kim Young-gwon, Kim Min-jae, Kim Jin-su; Jung Woo-Young, Hwang In-beom, Lee Jae-sung; Hwang Hee-chan, Son Heung-min, Hwang Ui-jo

Switzerland and Cameroon meet for the first time ever on Thursday, as the two nations kick off what could be a very competitive World Cup 2022 Group G.

The Swiss come into the World Cup off the back of a quarter-final run at Euro 2020, while Cameroon finished third at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Match preview

After four consecutive international tournaments, it will take some getting used to seeing Switzerland without Vladmir Petkovic on the touchline, as former Schaffhausen boss Murat Yakin takes the national side to a World Cup for the first time.

Since taking over in August 2021, the Basler has overseen a remarkably successful World Cup qualifying campaign, remaining unbeaten with 18 points from a possible 24 to top the group ahead of Italy.

A-Team also retained their spot in League A of the Nations League, bouncing back from three consecutive defeats to beat Portugal, Spain and Czech Republic in another impressive run of wins.

Despite a 2-0 defeat to Ghana in their final warm-up game, the Swiss will be confident ahead of a fourth consecutive World Cup, with the likes of Breel Embolo and captain Granit Xhaka heading to Qatar in great form.

Cameroon, on the other hand, have struggled for form since their Africa Cup of Nations run, winning just one of their last five, with that victory coming against 141st-ranked Burundi.

Rigobert Song’s men qualified for Qatar in dramatic fashion, as Karl Toko Ekambi broke Algerian hearts to qualify for their eighth World Cup back in March.

The Indomitable Lions are actually the fourth-lowest ranked side in the entire tournament, finding themselves 28 places behind their Swiss opponents, and 22 adrift of anyone else in Group G.

Nonetheless, with attacking talent such as Toko Ekambi and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, who has 11 goals and three assists in his last 10 games, and having seen Saudi Arabia’s shock victory over Argentina on Tuesday, the five-time African champions will head into this crucial World Cup opener with real belief.

Team News

Borussia Monchengladbach shot-stopper Yann Sommer suffered an ankle injury back in October, but having played against Ghana last week, he should be available from the off, even if not fully fit.

Premier League stars Manuel Akanji, Fabian Schar, Remo Freuler and Denis Zakaria should all feature, as Xherdan Shaqiri will add to his 109 caps alongside the impressive Embolo up front.

Cameroon look to have a fully fit squad to choose from, as Brentford forward Bryan Mbuemo joins the attacking ranks ahead of this tournament.

Imperious Napoli midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa will be a key force in the middle of the park, while Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana provides real quality between the sticks.

Switzerland possible starting lineup:
Sommer; Rodriguez, Akanji, Elvedi, Widmer; Xhaka, Freuler; Shaqiri, Sow, Vargas; Embolo

Cameroon possible starting lineup:
Onana; Tolo, Castelletto, Nkoulou, Fai; Toko Ekambi, Hongla, Anguissa, Mbeumo; Aboubakar, Choupo-Moting

Keeper Thibaut Courtois showed his class as Belgium made the most of Canada’s woeful finishing to win their opening World Cup Group F game 1-0 thanks to a Michy Batshuayi goal on Wednesday.

Courtois saved Alphonso Davies’s weak early penalty and made a couple of other good saves as Canada pushed for their first goal at a World Cup on their return to the tournament for the first time since 1986.

Belgium, without injured striker Romelu Lukaku, went ahead on the stroke of halftime courtesy of Batshuayi’s half-volley from Toby Aldeweireld’s long pass.

Roberto Martinez’s side, third at the 2018 World Cup, regained their composure after the break and held on to move top of the group on three points, two ahead of Croatia and Morocco who drew 0-0.

©Reuters

Ghana captain Andre Ayew does not believe Cristiano Ronaldo’s messy exit from Manchester United will have any bearing on their World Cup Group H opener against Portugal as he urged his side to be “brave” in their clash at Stadium 974 on Thursday.

Ronaldo announced he had parted ways with the Old Trafford club by mutual consent on Tuesday following scathing public comments he had made towards the United hierarchy and coach Erik ten Hag.

However, Ayew said this should not be a distraction for Portugal.

“It is not our problem what is happening within the Portuguese team,” the 32-year-old told reporters on Wednesday. “They are all great professionals playing at top teams and they will be ready for the World Cup, whatever else is happening.”

Tunisia and Morocco have already managed to hold more fancied European opposition at this World Cup and Ayew said there was no reason why Ghana can’t do the same or even better.

“We go into this game with Portugal favourites on paper. But we have to show that it is more important what happens on the pitch. We are playing a big side with top players, but we believe in ourselves and will make it very difficult for them,” he said.

“When you are playing the first game of a tournament it is never the decisive one. Whatever happens, you still have a chance to go through.

“The first game is one where you can go for it and be brave. It would be a great bonus for us to get something (from the match).”

LONE SURVIVORS

Ayew and his brother Jordan are the only survivors from the Ghana side that lost 2-1 to Portugal in their final group stage clash in 2014, when Ronaldo scored the winner 10 minutes from fulltime.

“The two teams have changed a lot since then. It is a different game, when we played them in 2014 we had to win by two goals to advance,” Ayew said.

“It is not the same game, or the same moment, it is completely different. Every game has its own realities and we will try to give them a tough time.

“We all know in these big tournaments there are surprises that can happen, we just need to be ready. I don’t feel anyone is stressed or has anxiety before the game.

“I am sure when the game comes there will be pressure, if you don’t feel it, you are not human.”

©Reuters