On the 27th June, Brazil face Serbia in the final round of games in Group E. Competition within the group to advance to the knockout stages is fierce. Both Brazil and Switzerland sit on four points, with Serbia trailing just behind on three. A Brazil win would guarantee passage into the knockout stages. However, if Serbia were to win, Brazil would be relying on Costa Rice to upset Switzerland to allow them to advance.
Brazil v Serbia
Brazil’s Slow Start
Brazil have under-performed in the tournament thus far, gaining just four points from their first two matches. These four points have come in lacklustre displays which saw the Seleção score just three goals.
Many fans have pointed to Gabriel Jesus’s lack of production as a major factor for Brazil’s lack of goals. Critics of the Manchester City man have called for Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino to take his place in the starting lineup. This may be a prudent move.
This past season, Firmino scored 27 goals and added 17 assists. This is far superior to the production of Jesus. The City star scored just 17 goals, accompanied by a meager five assists. A change at the striker position is needed, but not as badly as a change at right winger.
Willian has been awful in the first two group games he has started. The Chelsea winger hasn’t registered a single shot on target and was substituted at halftime in Brazil’s previous group game against Costa Rica. Willian’s replacement against Costa Rica, Douglas Costa, showed why he should start against Serbia.
The Juventus star contributed an assist for Neymar to seal the 2-0 win for Brazil. Added to this is the fact that Costa in a 45 minute cameo completed five dribbles. This is more than Willian has in both the games he started combined. Clearly Tite has to consider starting the Juventus winger in Brazil’s final group game.
Serbia’s Must Win Game
Serbia simply have to win this game in order to qualify for the knockout stages.
The White Eagles have been fairly poor in their first two group games. A 1-0 victory against Costa Rica only came via a brilliant freekick from Aleksandar Kolarov, and a second half collapse against Switzerland resulted in a 2-1 loss, leaving them on three points in two games.
Their star man Sergej Milinković-Savić hasn’t had the best of tournaments either. His outing against Switzerland was particularly poor. He was completely out-battled in midfield, and at times he was gifting the ball to the opposition. Serbia will need a big performance from Milinković-Savić if they are to stand a chance against the Seleção.
The Verdict
In a game both teams must win, Brazil will triumph. Tite’s side simply have too much attacking quality to be denied passage into the knockout stages. Expect a big performance from Neymar, and don’t be surprised to see Douglas Costa replace Willian in the starting lineup given his impact against Costa Rica.
Serbia must attack in order to stand a chance of advancing, and a big performance from Sergej Milinković-Savić would make this encounter a much more interesting watch. In the end though, Brazil will win. They are simply a better football team than Serbia, and this will be evident at the end of Wednesday’s game.
Main image:
