Favorites Brazil start their bid to win a sixth World Cup when they take on Serbia on Thursday, while Cristiano Ronaldo will hope to put his acrimonious departure from Manchester United behind him as Portugal take on Ghana.
Brazil will be wary of a dangerous Serbian side when the teams meet at Lusail Stadium, especially after watching Argentina suffer a shock defeat against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday at the same venue and Germany lose to Japan on Wednesday.
The Brazilians arrive in Qatar hoping to repeat what happened at the last World Cup held in Asia two decades ago, when they won their fifth title in Japan.
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Tite’s side could rely on a Neymar who has been in unlucky form for Paris Saint-Germain, but the world’s most expensive player is surrounded by other excellent attackers ready to share the burden, such as the Real Madrid pair Vinicius Jr. and Rodrigo.
“In my opinion, these players will help Neymar because they can share the responsibility and create space for him,” said veteran Brazil captain Thiago Silva.
“The atmosphere in the team is super healthy. The mix of young players and more experienced players makes for a good relationship.”
However, Serbia appears a more dangerous proposition than four years ago, when they also faced Brazil in the group stage, but lost 2–0 and were eliminated at home in the first round.
Serbia coach Dragan Stojkovic insisted, “We are not afraid of anyone in the world, not even Brazil.”
Portugal ‘fully focused’
Switzerland and Cameroon will begin Thursday’s action in the same section at 1:00pm (1000 GMT) at the Al Janoub Stadium.
Swiss captain Granit Xhaka indicated his team would not copy Germany’s face-covering protest against FIFA’s stance on rainbow-themed armbands.
The Swiss were one of seven European teams whose captains were required to wear armbands in support of LGBTQ people at the tournament in Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal.
Germany gestures as they line up for their team photo before their 2-1 loss to Japan after captain Manuel Neuer abandoned plans to wear the armband after FIFA threatened him with on-field disciplinary action.
“I don’t think we need to do anything as a Swiss team. We need to respect the rules and focus on our football, that’s what I intend to do,” Xhaka said on Wednesday.
Ronaldo’s preparation for what is surely his last World Cup has been fueled by his bitterness at Old Trafford.
It was announced late on Tuesday that the 37-year-old would leave United with “immediate effect” in the wake of a vocal interview with a British broadcaster in which he said he felt “betrayed” by the club and had no respect for manager Eric Tens. Haag.
His club form has been poor this season, but he is still hoping for a final shot at World Cup glory and Portugal will be expected to start with a win at the Stadion 974 over a Ghanaian side who are top of the FIFA rankings. is ranked 61st.
Portugal coach Fernando Santos claimed the players had not discussed Ronaldo’s departure from United.
“The players are fully focused, in a great spirit, realistic about what they have to do, what their objectives are and the challenges they face,” Santos said.
“Winning a competition of this magnitude is difficult.”
son will play for korea
Portugal and Ghana are in Group H with Uruguay and South Korea, who meet in Thursday’s other match.
Son Heung-min will be able to play for South Korea despite wearing a mask following facial surgery.
The Tottenham Hotspur attacker and Korean captain had surgery earlier this month after suffering a fracture around his left eye during a UEFA Champions League game.
Coach Paulo Bento said, “The son can play and will be able to play.”
With goals from Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano, Japan came from behind to beat Germany in Group E, while Spain began their campaign with a 7–0 thrashing of Costa Rica, with Ferran Torres scoring one of the 2010 World Cup winners. scored twice for.
Belgium also started in winning fashion late in Wednesday’s match as Micky Batshuayi’s goal gave them a 1-0 win over Canada, thanks to a penalty saved by Alphonso Davies.
Group F rivals Morocco drew 0–0 after beating 2018 finalists Croatia.
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