Tite and the Brazilians will start to write their World Cup redemption story on Sunday June 17th at 2pm in Rostov Arena at Rostov-on-Don, Russia when they take on Switzerland in the first day of games for group E. After their disastrous 7-1 semifinal loss to Germany in front of their home fans in 2014, Brazil has gone from being a mess of a team to a top contender for the World Cup in 2018. With the second best odds of any country, Brazil comes into this tournament with something to prove, and will be looking to set the tone early in their game against Switzerland. For more information on futures and group betting odds, check out our special World Cup betting section. The Swiss, meanwhile, are coming into this tournament knowing that they are up against some incredible odds to advance. Even if they get the second spot in this group and make it to the round of 16, they will more than likely be playing the Germans in that round.
Brazil
For now, Brazil's World Cup legacy is intact as the greatest football nation on the planet, but that may not be the case at the end of this summer. That is because Germany comes into this year's tournament with a chance to tie Brazil for the most World Cup victories for a single country with five. There is a real threat that Germany will accomplish the feat too, as they are the favorite team to win the World Cup this year. To make matters interesting, Brazil is one of two other teams that has a realistic shot at stopping them, and this year's Brazilian squad is built to win. They finished qualifying 10 points ahead of second place Uruguay in CONMEBOL qualifying, and have been undefeated in four friendly matches since then.
Switzerland
Switzerland meanwhile qualified second in their UEFA group, behind Portugal. This forced them to play a two leg playoff against Northern Ireland, which they won 1-0. Participants in the last 3 World Cups, they have made the round of 16 twice and are by no means a pushover squad. While they lack the big-name personnel that Brazil has, they nonetheless have a team full of capable, flexible players that can hold their own. Full-backs Lichtsteiner and Ricardo Rodriguez also double as capable wing-backs. This allows their Manager Vladimir Petkovic either three or four men in the back field. Up front, Breel Embolo, Josip Drmic and Xherdan Shaqiri all possess lightning speed, which allows them extra options on the attack. The midfield is their biggest question, as they lack big name personnel there. Seferovic will be counted on to play big minutes in that position, but as his scoring totals evidenced in qualifying, he can handle it.
Match Overview
While this should be an easy win for Brazil, it will also be a major test as to how serious they are going to be about winning a World Cup. If Brazil shows up ready and prepared to re-establish themselves as a world power in football, the game will be a wash. Either way, with the flexibility to adjust their midfield, Switzerland will likely go with a back four in an effort to quell the Brazil attack. If that tactic proves successful, it might allow them to pull off a draw or a 1-0 victory. Otherwise, the more likely scenario is that Brazil overwhelms the Swiss on all ends of the field and walks away with an easy victory here. Historically Brazil has a 3-3-2 record versus the Swiss, dating back to 1950.
