Stuttering Brazil will look to clinch their berth in the last 16 of the World Cup as they host alreadyeliminated Cameroon in their final Group A match at the Estadio Nacional in the capital Brasilia tonight.
Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side have beaten Croatia and drawn with Mexico in their two games to date, struggling to convince in either match.
Brazil head into their final group game – their 100th at the World Cup – still not certain of a place in the knockout rounds, insisting they are not complacent about the threat of their African opponents.
“Cameroon are coming without any responsibility but they will still be playing for pride and looking for a reaction after the first two games,” said Brazil defender David Luiz. “Their pride has been hurt and they will be looking to beat Brazil because it would be like winning the World Cup for them. Our objective is to get through the group and get through in first place.”
Scolari’s team need not panic about their situation in the group.
They lead the group on goal difference from Mexico, and a draw will be enough to take them through to a second-round clash with either Chile or the Netherlands.
Indeed, they would still progress even in defeat, as long as Mexico beat Croatia in the group’s other game, due to be played at the same time in Recife.
In any case, the prospect of Brazil losing to a Cameroon side in complete disarray seems slim in the extreme.
A row over bonuses overshadowed their build-up to the finals with star striker Samuel Eto’o not training since the opening defeat to Mexico because of a knee injury.
Coach Volker Finke then saw Alex Song’s tournament come to a premature end after he was sent off for a needless elbow against Croatia, before left-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto head-butted teammate Benjamin Moukandjo on the pitch near the end of the game.
“We will need to talk to certain players. The behaviour of some of them was not at all satisfying,” bemoaned coach Finke. “There have been some situations where we have lacked concentration and we also lacked a finishing touch against Croatia but we can do better against Brazil.”
Pierre Webo will compete to start with Vincent Aboubakar up front for the Indomitable Lions, while powerful forward Hulk – who suffered a hamstring problem last week – looks set to earn a recall for Brazil in place of Ramires.
LIKELY LINE-UPS
Cameroon (4-1-4-1):
Itandje; Nyom, N'Koulou, Nounkeu, Bedimo; Matip; Salli, Makoun, Enoh, Choupo-Moting; Webo.
Brazil (4-2-3-1):
Cesar; Alves, Luiz, Silva, Marcelo; Gustavo, Paulinho; Oscar, Neymar, Hulk; Fred.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Cameroon – Charles Itandje
It could be a tough night for the former Liverpool keeper and he will have to be at his very best to keep the scoreline down. Often prone to an error it will be key that he performs well or else it could get embarrassing for Cameroon.
Brazil – Fred
After receiving plenty of criticism for his performance against Mexico, Fred will be out to prove the critics wrong. And in Cameroon he is facing a side with plenty of holes in defence. Fred needs a big match and should get his name on the scoresheet.
SPORT360° PREDICTION
Cameroon are in total disarray, providing Brazil with the easiest of opposition. Neymar will score several in a 4-0 triumph.
