Brazil - Cameroon: Training for the 1/8 round
Still without Neymar and only needing one point to keep the top of the table, coach Tite is likely to take advantage of the match at Lusail to give the substitutes a chance. In his pre-match press conference, he confirmed he would start with Ederson replacing Alisson in goal. 39-year-old defender Dani Alves is likely to replace the injured Danilo, while Fabinho joins Bruno Guimaraes in midfield. Antony and Gabriel Martinelli are expected to be given the main kick in attack. "Brazil has 26 players at a very high level," said Tite. "Overall, Brazil has a great team."
The rotation of the squad is important in the context of the continuous tournament, in the middle of the season in the national leagues, so it is difficult for the players to reach their best condition. But it will not distort the direction of Brazil - the team is aiming to win the group in 11 consecutive World Cups.
In the current context, Tite's team can still finish first even if they lose to Cameroon, depending on the outcome of the remaining match between Switzerland and Serbia. Brazil has been unbeaten in the last 17 group stage matches at the World Cup, since losing 1-2 to Norway in France 1998, including two wins in the opening leg of Qatar 2022. If it continues to win today, Brazil will be for the first time. won all nine points in the group stage since 2006.
"Topping the group is always the goal of Brazil, no matter who the next opponent is," emphasized Fabinho. "Our focus has always been to win all the games, get the perfect nine points. Whoever gets the chance to play for Brazil at the World Cup give their all, win and top the table."
Today's match is more meaningful for Cameroon, the team must win to keep hope of progressing. Even winning three points does not guarantee a place in the 1/8 round for Cameroon, if Switzerland also defeats Serbia in the match at the same time. Cameroon and Serbia currently have only one point, while Switzerland has three.
While Brazil aspires to win, Cameroon only aims to qualify for the group stage for the first time since reaching the quarter-finals in 1990, when a team led by striker Roger Milla was eliminated by England in extra time. "We will be focused and very disciplined for the next 90 minutes," said Cameroon coach Rigobert Song. "I want to see the determination and fighting spirit to win the three points."
Cameroon lost only two World Cup matches against South American representatives, and both came before Brazil. Meanwhile, in the last seven encounters with African opponents at the tournament, Brazil scored 20 and conceded only two goals. Regardless of which formation Tite used, Brazil was rated higher by the supercomputer. The South American representative has a 72.7% chance of winning, compared with 10.6% for Cameroon. The draw - the result that keeps Brazil at the top - is rated at 16.7%.
