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The third round of the group stages are about to begin and we take a look at Brazil squaring off against Cameroon. Brazil’s title challenge saw an unexpected roadblock when they were unable to get past a resolute Mexican defense resulting in a goalless draw. It is indeed surprising that the favorites’ fate hangs in uncertainty as the potential threat of exiting the World Cup looms over the horizon.
Cameroon, on the other hand are out of the World Cup with two consecutive losses and have nothing to lose in their final group stage match. Despite the fact that Cameroon have been lackluster in their opening two matches, they certainly possess quality and could wound Brazil.
Venue
Estádio Nacional de Brasília Mané Garrincha, Brasilia, shall play host to this fixture. A newly constructed stadium for the FIFA World Cup, this colossal structure can house over 71000 people and has a unique 288 pillars on the exterior holding up the roof. Unlike many other stadiums, the opening on the roof is pretty small which ensures that there shall be little wind action and the players shall have a much more definite path of their shots.
Kickoff
Indian Time - 1.30 am
Local Time – 5.00 pm
Predicted Starting Line ups
Brazil
The Selecao were unconvincing in their first two matches and some of the players received a lot of flak from the media. Fred and Hulk especially were the main culprits who were highly criticized for making little contribution to the team. Judging by that, we could expect Scolari to make changes but if the past few matches have shown anything, it’s the fact that he does not change. He sticks to the tried and tested and I believe this match will be no different.
Brazil (4-2-3-1) – Cesar; Alves, Silva, Luiz, Marcelo; Paulinho, Gustavo; Hulk, Oscar, Neymar; Fred
Cameroon
The indomitable lions have nothing but pride to play for in this fixture. After an uncharacteristic early exit, a win to salvage some pride shall be all they are looking for. Benoit Assou Ekoto might be excluded following his altercation with Benjamin Moukandjo last match. Alex Song is still serving his suspension and that keeps him off the line-up. Samuel Eto’s will lead his team in what could possibly be his last ever World Cup match.
Cameroon – Itandje; Djeugoue, Nkoulou, Chedjou, Nounkeu; Matip, Aboubakar, Choupo Moting, Mbia, Enoh; Eto'o
Key Stats
Cameroon have won just one of their 14 World Cup games, drawing four and losing nine.
The Indomitable Lions have scored just seven goals in their last 12 World cup games, and not more than once during this spell.
Brazil have won 15 of their last 16 matches, the solitary loss coming against Switzerland. That was the immediate match following their Confederations Cup triumph, which they lost 1-0.
Key Battles
Neymar v Djeugoue
As evidenced in the first two matches, Hulk and Fred have done next to nothing to contribute to the attack, leaving Neymar to lead them. In a contrasting case to last year, Neymar is expected to carry the team alongside the able support of Oscar. He will be up against Djeugoue, an inexperienced right back who has made just 4 appearances for the team. To his credit, Djeugoue possesses a strong physique and is much taller than Neymar. This match-up may be crucial in determining Brazil’s final position in their group, with a potential match-up against Netherlands or Chile if they slip up to second.
Nicolas N’Koulou v Oscar dos Santos
The Marseille center back is an experienced player at the heart of the defense for Cameroon. However, after coming off a nightmare with Mandzukic, Oscar presents him with another challenge. Oscar was excellent in the opening match for the Selecao, constantly moving around the defense and troubling the center backs. Against the indomitable lions, he is expected to do the same and N’Koulou should be up to the task.
Prediction
The odds are highly stacked up in favour of Brazil with a win looking the most likely possibility. However, as mentioned earlier, Cameroon are a good side who can be dangerous opponents. Their physical play in the middle of the park against a defensive Brazilian midfield duo will certainly be interesting to watch. Brazil’s ineffective striker has complicated their problems with Neymar being the go-to man in this decisive game.
A draw would be enough to see Brazil through, while a loss coupled with a draw in the other fixture could see them out of the tournament. Although they haven’t looked entirely convincing, they have enough firepower to carry them to the next stage without much ado. I predict a clean sheet for Brazil complementing a win.
Predicted Scoreline – Brazil 2 – 0 Cameroon
Officials
Referee: Jonas Eriksson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mathias Klasenius (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Warnmark (SWE)
Fourth Official: Svein Oddvar Moen (NOR)
