Continue the round of 16 and in this opportunity we will talk about the Brazil vs Belgium forecast. There is no clear favorite this time, as the two teams are even and with very good midfield players forward. However, and thus the betting houses consider that the Brazilians are the favorites to win the game, we believe that this will be more fought than expected. For this reason and knowing that the Europeans tend to handle the ball a lot, we believe that they can cause damage to the “Scratch”. Of course, they have to improve in defense and not make the mistakes suffered before Japan. In the end, it will be a duel of power to be able in attack, being able to win the game who has more efficiency facing the rival arch. In this case, we trust the Belgians because they have a lot of variants to elaborate.
Brazil:
The Brazilians defeated Mexico 2-0 in an intense game and with many attacks from both sides. The “Canarinha” started the game badly, being dominated by her rival in the first 20 ‘minutes of play. Then he regained confidence and began basing goal plays, which ended in great saves from “Memo” Ochoa and in corners. After the 0-0 of the first half, the South Americans came out with everything to win the game, demonstrating it in the first 5 ‘minutes of the complementary stage. In that lapse they made 3 consecutive corner kicks and Neymar’s goal. After getting the advantage, the Tité boys were dedicated to managing the times and counterattacking. Thanks to this tactical stop, the Brazilians maintained the advantage and managed to secure the victory with the goal of Firmino on the end. In general, the “Verdeamarela” is a compact and effective selection despite not having possession of the ball.
If we try to visualize what Tité will do in this match, we believe that he will keep the 4-2-3-1 system that has brought him so many benefits since his arrival at the Brazilian bench. In this opportunity the defense is expected to remain firm, being vital the contribution of the defenders Thiago Silva and Miranda, as well as that of the flanks Fagner and Filipe Luiz (replacing Marcelo who did not play against Mexico through injury). In the midfield, Paulinho and Casemiro eat all that area thanks to their location and their ability to recover balls. The second will not play because of the accumulation of cards, the multifunctional Fernandinho entering in his place. Above, the offensive quartet formed by Neymar, Coutinho, Willian and Gabriel Jesus is in charge of generating chances and defending when the play warrants it (solidary work thanks to the proposal imposed by coach Tité). Some interesting variants like revulsives are Firmino and Douglas Costa.
Belgium:
The Belgians defeated Japan 3-2 in an incredible game that was defined in the last play of the game. Roberto Martínez’s team was losing 0-2 at the beginning of the second half and was lost in the game. After receiving both blows, the players were lost and did not react. Luckily for their aspirations, the discount came and with it, the attitude and confidence of the Europeans changed. Many corners came and Fellaini’s goal, which restored calm to the squad. After that a game was fought in which no team stopped attacking. It is enough to know that the Asians had several chances and many corners to corroborate this affirmation. What’s more, in the end they lost the game because of their innocence after taking the corner and not doing time on the corner. Courtois caught the ball, gave it to De Bruyne who after a long run gave it to Meunier, who threw a great pass to Chadli to add the ball (lethal counterattack in which Lukaku also helped by passing the ball in the pass prior to the definition).
For this duel, Belgium is expected to handle the ball more, as it is a team designed for that. It has many elements of good standing that enjoy opening the ball and making goal plays. Therefore, we should not be surprised that Brazil does not hand over the ball and that it tries to attack via counterattack to take advantage of the spaces it usually leaves when using a line of 3 in defense. Exactly this subject is the one that surely will meditate the technician Martinez, being able to change his classic system and to use a 4-4-2 more balanced. Of course, much is expected from De Bruyne, Witsel, Mertens, Hazard and Lukaku, which are characterized by moving a lot in the field and not occupy fixed positions. Another detail to consider of this squad is that it has many variants of forward midfield such as Fellaini and Chadli, figures of the great comeback against the Japanese. His contribution was fundamental to gain overflow and strength in the last 25 minutes of play. Finally, it will be vital that Courtois remains firm in the goal, as he will surely receive many attacks from Neymar, Coutinho and Willian.
Both selected have not faced each other since the 2002 World Cup, when Brazil won 2-0. After 16 years, this information has little relevance at this time. Then they have not played any friendly, this being the second official duel between Brazilians and Belgians.
PREDICTION: Over 2.5 goals @ 2.00
