Brazil

Brazil v Uruguay Betting Preview
The two South American neighbours clash in the semi final of the 2013 Confederations Cup on Wednesday, looking for a place in the final. Brazil have been entertaining their home fans wonderfully with some fantastic attacking play, and will probably be hoping to get to test themselves against Spain in the final. The famous gold shirts will be starting the match as favourites against Uruguay, who still haven’t quite pulled everything together as a cohesive unit. Still, after winning two of their three games, they at least are still in the fight and will go searching for a big upset.

Brazil v Uruguay Betting Odds at online bookmaker Bet Victor
Brazil 4/11, Draw 7/2, Uruguay 7/1

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Brazil v Uruguay Recommended Bet:
In the battle of South America, Brazil are very strong favourites. They won all three of their group matches and just seem to be going along nicely, with plenty of goals in them. They took somewhat routine wins over Japan and Mexico to open up with, even if they play did fall short of the mark sometimes. In their final group match, which happened to be a group-winning deciding match, they went up against a good Italian side. They were given a run for their money as well, because the Italians showed a lot of resilience and just wouldn’t give up. The thing is, Italy found big gaps in the middle of Brazil and they exploited them. They also found that pressing Brazil high up the pitch, forced the South Americans into giving some poor possession away. Italy were missing Andrea Pirlo too, as the Azzurri went down 4-2 in a thrilling match. Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari will be happy enough with how his side look pouring forward, but not so much when it comes to solidity and holding the ball in the middle of the park.

Neymar has pretty much stolen all the show, and his strike partners Hulk and Fred really don’t look as if they contribute all that much. So there is room for improvement up top for them took. But still, Brazil had the forward power to kill the game off, and they have momentum with their three wins, and from averaging three goals per game as well Brazil. The two goals they conceded against Italy (which should have been three were it not for the crossbar) are the only goals that Julio Cesar has let past him. Uruguay however, had a slow start to the tournament, looking outclassed in their opening defeat against Spain. Then they were very scrappy in a 2-1 win over an inexperienced Nigerian side, but a routine 8-0 win over rank outsiders Tahiti was enough to put them through to the semi finals, where they will meet their northerly neighbours.

Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez has at least fulfilled the the goal of reaching the knockout stage, albeit drawing the short straw now of having to face Brazil. Uruguay are a good tournament side, they have their way about them, even though their form over the last couple of years hasn’t been great. They rested pretty much their starting eleven against Tahiti and will hope that that has done wonders for their forward line. For a man being linked with Real Madrid and Chelsea, Edinson Cavani has looked disinterested on the big stage, but Luis Suarez has looked dangerous and Diego Forlan still has magic left in his aging legs. La Celeste will need all three to really up their games if they are going to outgun Brazil. Uruguay have been a bit disjointed for a while now and there are no guarantees that they will be back in Brazil next summer for the World Cup. However, a win over Brazil would do their confidence a whole power of good.

A thrilling derby game in prospect, but the star of the show so far has been Barcelona-bound Neymar. Given his exploits so far, could be worth running with Neymar as First Goalscorer for a price of 3/1 with BetVictor.

In the Brazil v Uruguay head to head there have been seventy previous clashes between the two. Brazil hold the head to head lead by 32-19. In those seventy matches, Brazil have netted 125 goals to 90 from Uruguay. This will be the first time they have met in the Confederations Cup. Their last coming together was in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, with Brazil winning 4-0 in Montevideo, following up a 2-1 win in Sao Paulo over their neighbours. In actual competitive tournament matches (World Cup and Copa America), everything is level at ten wins apiece and eight draws.

Italy v Brazil Betting Preview
Although both sides have already booked their passage through to the semi finals of the 2013 Confederations Cup, there is still importance on this game. While this is a scrap for top spot in Group A, there is a big prize attached to that. The winner will likely avoid having to play Spain in the semi finals, and therefore chances of reaching the final for these two will be increased. Both Brazil and Italy have won their opening group matches heading to Salvador to face off. Can Italy get the win they need against the host nation?

Italy v Brazil Betting Odds at online bookmaker Paddy Power
Brazil 8/13, Draw 14/5, Italy 9/2

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Italy v Brazil Recommended Bet:
There has been some brilliant play from Neymar, who has been something of an inspirational figure up front for the host nation. After a goal drought for his country, he has come to life and scored a spectacular goal against both Japan and Mexico. The new Barcelona man is certainly a match winner and while Brazil have looked pretty good, and have answered many questions raised about them because of dodgy form heading into the tournament, they haven’t looked real world beaters yet. There is a problem in midfield for them, where they could be exposed at some point. Still, they opened with a 3-0 win over Japan and followed it up with a 2-0 win over Mexico, with late goals in both games inflating the score lines. There has to be positives from the fact that Julio Cesar hasn’t had anything to do between the sticks so far. So perhaps Luiz Felipe Scolari’s men are on the right track, and they are enjoying things in front of their own fans.

Brazil are holding top spot in Group A thanks to their defence and holding a superior goal difference over Italy. It means they can hold on for a draw to get through, whereas Italy have to come out and get a win in order to finish top of the group. This should be a pretty open game because of that and the Italians are capable of pulling off a result here. The Azzurri were very well controlled in their opening win over Mexico and they responded well when on the ropes against Japan. Italy found themselves 2-0 down against the Japanese, before fighting back to take the lead at 3-2. After Japan had tied things up at 3-3 Italy looked as if they had missed their chance, before they were rescued by Mario Balotelli, who has looked excellent up front for the Europeans.

Cesare Prandelli’s men have a very good style about them and there is no reason why they couldn’t match up well against Brazil. Like the Brazilians, Italy are heading in the right direction and this is a great decider that is fitting for their final match of the Group. Italy have a good game plan, and like to press opposition high up the pitch and the Brazilians won’t be used to being put under intense pressure. Italy are also quick on the break like Brazil are too. The South Americans perhaps have the individual flair but that is balanced out by Italy’s superb team ethic. It could be a classic. Good value in the Anytime Goalscorer market with Neymar at Evens and Balotelli at 2/1 with online betting site Paddy Power

Form
Italy WWDDWW, Brazil WDDWWW

The Italy v Brazil head to head makes for some very interesting reading, because gap between them is pretty narrow. There have been fifteen meetings between the two nations before, and Brazil just have the ascendancy 7-5. In those fifteen matches, Brazil have scored 26 goals to Italy’s 21. They have met in the Confederations Cup before, Italy losing 3-0 in a disastrous tournament four years ago. They have already played this year, drawing 2-2 in Geneva and it was a great comeback by Italy after being 2-0 down at half time.

 

Brazil v Mexico Betting Preview
The foundations have been laid for Brazil to produce something special in this tournament. They got themselves off to a comfortable start with a 3-0 win over Japan and now they have another big chance to impress and secure a spot in the semi finals. It is a different story for Mexico who opened their account with a defeat against Italy. So they have to try and dig deep and find a result from somewhere. If they look at history though, they can take some confidence into the match. In Confederations Cup meetings, the Central Americans hold an advantage.

Brazil v Mexico Betting Odds at online bookmaker Paddy Power
Brazil 4/11, Draw 15/4, Mexico 7/1

Online bookmaker Promotion
There is a special Money Back promotion running for the Brazil v Mexico match at the Confederations Cup on Wednesday, specific just for this game from online bookmaker Paddy Power. He scored a stunning goal in their opening match and if Brazilian striker Neymar scores the last goal in this match, then the bookie will refund all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct score and single bets on the match. Great coverage from online bookmaker Paddy Power who offer up to a free £50 bet as a welcome bonus for new customers. New accounts can will get a bonus matched to the value of the first stake placed.

Brazil v Mexico Recommended Bet:
There was a comfortable win for the reigning champions in their opening match, beating Japan 3-0. It was a brilliant strike by Neymar who set the South Americans on their way and helped to settle all nerves after just three minutes. It was in the third minute of the second half and the third minute of stoppage time that Brazil converted further goals. While there were passage of play that were devastating going forward with their attackers, they did look a bit flat in the middle of the park. There may be a missing link in the centre of the pitch from them, and they lost their way in the second half a bit. Their array of forward talent may get them far enough, perhaps until they really come up against stiff opposition. Confidence is a big factor of course and after some less than ideal form this year, they will have been happy with that opening win. Now they have to build upon it.

The win over Japan gave Brazil back to back wins, after they have triumphed over France 3-0 as well in a pre-tournament warm up match and are now unbeaten in seven. So maybe Luiz Felipe Scolari’s men are trending  upwards. This is a massively important competition for them, as it is the only competitive action that they are going to get ahead of hosting next summer’s World Cup. Will the fluid, confident Brazil show up against Mexico? The Mexicans have to come out and have a go at this one, following defeat in their opening match against Italy. They only managed to get on the scoresheet from the penalty spot and finding the back of the net has been a problem for them during 2013. That looks as if it could continue for El Tri through the Confederations Cup. There is decent pace in the side, and they actually have potential to be a dark horse, but may not live up to that until they start converting. While they go as underdogs for this match, just for a twist, when the two sides met last June, Mexico pulled off a famous 2-0 win in a friendly.

Mexico do have the edge over Brazil in previous Confederations Cup meetings. However, going based off what was seen in their opening games, Brazil should have far more of an edge going forward. The best chance for Mexico is to go heavy in the midfield where Brazil are a little weak, and hit the Brazilians on the break, they could be in with a chance. But at best, a Draw/Brazil Half Time/Full Time bet is decent at odds of 3/1 with online bookmaker Paddy Power.

In the Brazil v Mexico head to head, the South Americans lead the way over the Central Americans. In 37 previous meetings, Brazil have taken 21 wins to 10 from Mexico. The goal count stands at 69 goals for Brazil and 36 to Mexico in those meetings. This will be the fourth match in the Confederations Cup between them, and Mexico have won two of the three surprisingly. They also won the most recent meeting, that friendly last summer in Arlington, Texas. Is there a surprise on the cards here? No side has beaten Brazil more times since 2000 than Mexico have,  winning six of the last eleven meetings.

Form
Brazil WDDWW, Mexico DWDDDL

Brazil v Japan Betting Preview
The opening match of the 2013 FIFA confederations Cup is on Saturday, with the host nation Brazil looking to quickly build up a head of steam. This is a warm up event ahead of next year’s World Cup in Brazil, but the Brazilians have been struggling to find consistent winning form of late. After taking just two wins away from their last nine matches, coach Luiz Felipe Scolari clearly still has a lot of building work to do. But the South Americans did conclude their warm ups with a 3-0 thumping of France, so are they going to be peaking at the right time?

Brazil v Japan Betting Odds at online bookmaker Ladbrokes
Brazil 2/7, Draw 9/2, Japan 17/2

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Brazil v Japan Recommended Bet:
Well, at least there may be a bit of light at the end of the tunnel for Brazil, after a strong second half showing against France recently. That was their final warm up match ahead of the Confederations Cup. Since the last time that Brazil met Japan back in October of 2012, the form of the South Americans has been patchy. They beat Japan 4-0 on that occasion, but then they struggled to nail any form down following that. In the nine matches following their last meeting with Japan, Brazil have posted five draws and just two wins in their matches since, including a defeat and a draw against England. So huge room for improvement clearly. Going forward, Brazil look alright, and they have the phenomenal talent of new Barcelona signing Neymar of course. Defensively, there are holes to plug.

Regardless of form and trying to find the right tactics, Brazil go as strong favourites to win the opening match of the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. They are the title holders, after winning the last two editions back to back, three times in total in the history of the event. This is going to be massively important for them, not only because it is a dress rehearsal for the 2014 World Cup, but also because they have been void of competitive football, being the next World Cup hosts. Brazil have still be trading alongside Spain as joint favourites to win the 2014 World Cup and it is unlikely that Japan will pose them too many problems. The Asian nation completed their warm up for the tournament with a 1-0 win over Iraq, and that came after big celebrations after taking a draw against Australia. That result guaranteed them a place in next summer’s World Cup, becoming the first nation to qualify alongside Brazil.

Japan’s form has not been great either really, taking just one win in their last four international matches. Prior to that run they did rattle off three wins in a row, but that has to be taken into full context because the victories came against Oman, Latvia and Canada. This is clearly the biggest, and sternest test that they will have faced in a long time, a real step up in class. The football ethics of Japan are good, they are quick and stroke the ball around. The quality in standard is unlikely to get them close to a victory against Brazil. The potential is there in the Brazilian squad, Scolari just needs to piece it all together.

The head to head between Brazil and Japan is all in favour of the South Americans. Nine times they have met before and seven of those games have ended in wins for Brazil, with Japan holding on for draws in the other two. The goal tally in those nine matches stands at 24 for Brazil and just four for Japan.

Form
Brazil DDWDDW, Japan WWWLLD

England v Brazil Betting Preview
This is a match between two sides who both need to pick themselves up a bit. England were uninspiring in their midweek international friendly against the Republic of Ireland. Now they have to try and raise their game to take on a tougher opponent. It is off to the refurbished famous Maracana Stadium for Roy Hodgson’s men to try and take on the 2014 World Cup hosts. Just as much as England need to prove themselves with a good display here, the Brazilians themselves need to try and turn around some below par form as well.

England v Brazil Betting Odds at online bookmaker Ladbrokes
Brazil 8/13, Draw 11/4, England 9/2

Online bookmaker Promotion
England weren’t looking too threatening in front of goal at Wembley against Ireland, can they do better on Sunday? There is a great promotion on offer for the match at online bookmaker Ladbrokes. If it is England who score the first goal of the match, then Ladbrokes will refund all losing First Goalscorer, Scorecast and Correct Score bets placed before kick off. Superb coverage and there are up to three free £10 bets on offer for new customers registering an account with the betting site.

England v Brazil Recommended Bet:
Roy Hodgson came under some heavy fire after England’s pretty dour performance against the Republic of Ireland at Wembley. He reverted to a 4-4-2 formation which offered little creativity and penetration and while England had some pace on the flanks, there was little end product from them. Despite having the lion’s share of possession in the game, they weren’t mobile enough and they couldn’t do much with the ball in terms of breaking down the Irish. So following a disappointing draw against Montenegro in their World Cup qualifying, England look to have hit a bit of a rut. However, the Three Lions did produce a win over Brazil at Wembley back in February. Somehow they need to get back on track, even if it is just putting in a good performance at the Maracana in Rio. They will be hope to be back there next summer for the 2014 World Cup.

But Brazil haven’t been in top stride for a long time now, having won just one of their last seven matches. Of course, they aren’t involved in competitive matches because of hosting the next world cup. But this is a tremendously important month for Luiz Felipe Scolari who is back in charge again. As well as taking on England, Brazil will face France and then contest the Confederations Cup as well. They need to find a system and confidence to get the best out of what is a very talented squad. After losing to England at Wembley, Brazil have drawn three and won one match. The draws came against Russia, Italy and Chile, with a victory over Bolivia. So they look far from their settled and fluent best, but on their return to the new Maracana, they will want to shine and have pace, power and creativity, if they can pull it all together.

In the England v Brazil head to head, there have been 24 previous matches played. England have taken just four wins to eleven by the Brazilians. The last time England were in Rio, that famous John Barnes goal set England on the way to an equally famous 2-0 win over Brazil. Twenty of all the meetings between the two nations have been international friendly matches, all four of England’s triumphs over Brazil have come those friendly games.

 

England v Brazil International friendly betting will pit Roy Hodgson’s men against some of the best talent that the world has to offer. Hodgson’s last game in charge of the national side ended in defeat as a flurry of substitutions saw the Three Lions lose their way in Sweden, losing 4-2 in the game which saw that overhead goal from Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Even though this is a friendly, there is going to be some importance on it for England with some big World Cup 2014 qualifiers coming up. England will be with Jermain Defoe, Daniel Sturridge and Michael Carrick who have all pulled out through injury. But it is likely that Hodgson will field a pretty strong team nonetheless, in contrast to the youngsters and debutants he gave chances to against Sweden. After that loss, England need to get some form back under their belt.

They haven’t beaten Brazil for over twenty years now, the last time they hosted the Brazilians on home soil was back in the 2006/07 season, a game which ended in a 1-1 draw. England’s last two matches on home soil again Brazil ended in a 1-1 draw. Brazil’s last three wins against England have all come on neutral turf, the most recent being a 2009 November match. England’s last win over Brazil came in March of 1990. In the eight encounters since that match, Brazil have taken four wins and drawn the other four. There is big pressure on Brazil to perform as well, as the 2014 World Cup will be massive for them on their home soil. They re-appointed Luis Felipe Scolari back in December for another crack at the national job, and they really have to live up to expectation.

Brazil, although they didn’t face too much tough opposition, had a pretty solid last six months of 2012, scoring big wins over China, Japan and Iraq. They haven’t won in their last two outings though, taking a draw against Colombia and then losing in the second leg of Superclasico de las Americas against Argentina (although they won on a penalty shoot out after the two matches finished level on aggregate). The games against Argentina though were only using home based players and they will have four Premier League players in their squad, Chelsea trio Ramires, David Luiz and Oscar, being joined by QPR keeper Julio Cesar. Hulk and Neymar will be in the squad and bring their immense talent. Big test for Brazil and they go as favourites.

England v Brazil Betting Odds at online bookmaker Bet365
Brazil 11/8, England 2/1, Draw 9/4

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Will Brazil be able to get their hands on their first ever Olympic gold in men’s football? Well, they look a strong option to do so, as they head to their gold medal match against Mexico. It has been an pretty impressive show of quality and force from the experienced Brazilian side throughout the tournament. After a sluggish start against Egypt, which still produced a 3-2 win for the South Americans, Brazil continued showing their power and creativity up front. They netted three goals in each of their group matches against Egypt, Belarus and New Zealand, and produced three more in their quarter final match against Honduras. Brazil were pushed very hard by Honduras in their least convincing match of the entire games so far. Brazil just didn’t get into any flow or rhythm against Honduras and twice had to come from behind, even when their opponents were down to ten men. It exposed some frailties in the back line for Brazil, which may have given South Korea a glimmer of hope as they faced up to Brazil in the semi finals.

It wasn’t to be though, as Brazil tightened the ship and made light work of the South Korean defence, a defence which other teams had a hard time breaching through the tournament Remarkably, there was another three goal haul for Brazil, meaning that they have hit three in each of their games at London 2012. That is the power that they have, and they have such control in the middle of the park, with Chelsea’s new signing Oscar pulling a lot of string that it makes life easy for the strikers. Neymar has been weighing in with goals, but even he has been upstaged by Leandro Damiao who has bagged himself six goals in five matches.

Can Mexico stand up to that South American flair? Well they will probably have a pretty good go at it. Mexico didn’t concede a goal during their group stage (albeit in the easiest group of the tournament) and they looked comfortable in the quarter finals with a two goal lead over Senegal with twenty minutes to go. But the Africans hit back and Mexico needed extra time to pull out another two goal lead which they hung on to.

Mexico also beat Asian opponents in Japan in the semi finals, running out a comfortable 3-1 win against the Japanese .Mexico were one of the outside shots coming into the tournament, but really, with no other nation performing to any high standard other than Brazil, Mexico are the ones who have stood up and benefited the most. They are able to produce quite a neat game and look quite quick on the break going forward. The question is though, can Mexico produce enough themselves up front?

Brazil v Mexico Olympic Football betting odds at online bookmaker Bet365
Brazil 8/15, Draw 3/1, Mexico 5/1

Brazil v Mexico Prediction: the Brazilians are favourite and with good reason. Even when they haven’t’ been at their best they have still scored three goals and it is that fire power which should take them to success. You get the feeling that they will always be a goal or two better than their opponents. Brazil -1 Asian Handicap for Evens at online bookmaker Bet365.

Brazil finally found themselves pushed hard in the London 2012 Olympic football tournament, but they survived an enduring match against Honduras to set up Brazil v South Korea betting. Brazil waltzed into the Olympic tournament as favourites and with challengers Spain falling by the wayside after just two matches, the door was left wide open for the Brazilians and their star-studded, experienced squad. Brazil have been targeting this tournament hard, going in search of their first football gold medal in their Olympic history. With three wins from three in the group stage, averaging three goals per game, they were expected to walk all over Honduras in their quarter final meeting, but it didn’t quite pan out that way. The central Americans pushed the South Americans pretty hard and Brazil found themselves behind after ten minutes. The whole complex of the game could have been so different if Honduras had not had a man sent off after half an hour, but still they competed very well against Brazil and made it an even contest.

Indeed, it was Honduras who struck the lead again after Brazil had equalised, but they couldn’t hold on as Neymar and Leandro Damiao struck quick responses to give Brazil the edge. Brazil held on to the lead but it was an unimpressive performance, where they limped to the semi finals rather than played with great flair. But, one supposes, everyone has their off day and so even though this was probably their weakest performance of the tournament so far, they still won and they still showed that they have plenty of goals in them. They are still the best side left in the tournament, and their semi final opponents South Korea are unlikely to really match up in forward power. Brazil have netted three goals in each of their four Olympic matches now, so while they perhaps have a weakness at the back, they have superb quality up front to fire they way out of trouble. But the way the South Koreans have played during the Olympic tournament, Brazil may have an easier time at the back against the Asians than they did against Honduras.

South Korea needed a penalty shoot out to edge their way past host nation Great Britain in their quarter final match. The Koreans had very good periods of the game where they had a sluggish Britain on the back foot. But they also rode their luck, giving away two penalty kicks during the ninety minutes and Britain only managing to convert one of them. While the Koreans ran out of steam especially during extra time and they were the happier of the two sides to go to a shoot-out, their biggest problem again is that of finishing. They managed just two goals in their three group matches, and those goals came in one game, with the other two being 0-0 draws. They had chances in the quarter finals but just don’t look to have that quality up front, they will probably lack the offensive power at the end of the day to beat Brazil.

Brazil v South Korea betting odds at online bookmaker Bet365
Brazil 1/2, Draw 3/1, South Korea 11/2

Brazil v South Korea Prediction: South Korea can hold their own defensively and have patches where they look good. Can they sustain a solid ninety minutes against Brazil? Probably not. Brazil can step up a gear when they want to and pull goals out of their hat. Brazil -1.25 Asian Handicap for 23/20 looks decent value at online bookmaker Bet365.

Brazil v New Zealand betting in Group C of the Olympic football tournament, sees the South Americans with a chance to round out the group with three wins from three. Brazil have already seen their main gold medal challengers Spain fall by the wayside, so the path looks pretty clear for Mano Menezes’ side. After holding off an Egypt comeback in a 3-2 win in their opening group fixture, Brazil powered their way past Belarus 3-1 with star striker Neymar on the score sheet in both matches. We really haven’t even seen the very best of Brazil yet, there have been periods where they have taken their foot off the gas, but they are a side with so much experience and so much potential that no-else in the tournament has really looked like challenging them, even if they don’t get up into top gear. Brazil are aiming for their first ever Olympic Gold Medal in football.

So Brazil start the final round of group matches three points clear of second placed Belarus. So the South Americans have already booked their spot in the next round and it is unlikely that New Zealand will be joining them. The Kiwis have just one point from their opening two matches and now have to face their toughest group opponents. So they are not going to progress, even if Brazil rest a few players ahead of the knock-out stage. The Brazilians should have far too much of the ball for New Zealand to deal with them, and the Kiwis will probably be overwhelmed by creativity and pace. So this match should be a done deal. In the other group match, Belarus need a point against Egypt to follow Brazil through to the knock-out stage, while the Egyptians have to get maximum points from the Europeans. But, as it always looked likely to be, the Men’s Olympic Football Betting is all about Brazil. It could stay that way too.

Brazil v New Zealand Betting Odds at online bookmaker Bet365
Brazil 1/6, Draw 6/1, New Zealand 14/1

Brazil v New Zealand Prediction: Well this should be a pretty straight forward match, and Brazil have played their way into the position of being able to rest a few players. Brazil are taking comfortable steps towards a medal here and it may not be too much of a stretch to see Brazil take a a win by an easy two goal margin for a price of 3/1 at online bookmaker Bet365. There’s no need for Brazil to exert themselves too much here.

Brazil v Belarus Olympic Football betting should be an interesting match up. Brazil very nearly blew their lines in their opening match of London 2012, as they had to survive a spirited Egyptian come back. Goals from Rafael, Damiao and Neymar had given the South Americans a 3-0 lead after just thirty minutes and they looked to be in total command and on cruise control. Brazil are the favourites to win Gold at the Olympics, their first ever in men’s football. So it all looked good for them, a healthy lead over a side which really weren’t expected to come and cause them too much trouble. But after the re-start, Brazil took their foot off the gas a bit in the second half. Mano Menezes’s side did this in the pre-season friendly against Great Britain, and where GB didn’t have the tools to hurt them, Egypt found themselves back in the match.

Two strikes within twenty minutes pulled Egypt back to 3-2 and had the Brazilians questioning themselves At the end of the day, it wasn’t the most impressive performance from Brazil, it certainly wasn’t a ninety minute performance, but there was always the underlying feeling that they could create something if they needed too. The fact that they won will have been a big fillip in their first match of the tournament, and that is pretty much all that counts at this stage. Brazil are packed with experience and quality, that you would expect them to grow much stronger as the tournament progresses. They are too good to just exit this tournament with a whimper. They have avoided a banana skin in the second half against Egypt and can learn their lessons and look forward.

But Belarus are likely to be even tougher opposition than Egypt were. You can pencil Belarus in as one of the genuine dark horses of the tournament. Even more so when there hasn’t been anyone looking particularly like a stand out team after the first round of matches. Belarus have a good young side and great work ethic. They will chase and harry Brazil, and while at the end of the day, they may not have the quality to take three points off Brazil, they should be in a positive to push the South Americans very hard. Brazil may well have a harder time breaking through this defence than they did against Egypt Belarus are level on points with Brazil at the top of Group C, after securing a one-nil win over new Zealand in their opening match.

Brazil v Belarus Betting Odds at online bookmaker Bet365
Brazil 1/6, Draw 6/1, Belarus 14/1

Brazil v Belarus Prediction: At the end of the day, Brazil just have more goals in them than another team at the tournament If they play to their full potential and concentrate, then their patience should pay off in the end. They will meet an organised Belarus who won’t give as much away as Egypt did, but still the South Americans should win this. Neymar has to be worth a look as first goalscorer at 3/1 with Bet365.