On Friday night at 20:00, Brazil and Belgium will take the pitch in Kazan in hopes of reaching a World Cup semi-final. Belgium is on a 23-game unbeaten run, Brazil is on a 15-game unbeaten run. Something’s got to give.
Brazil – Belgium preview
Brazil had its moments of weakness against Mexico, but overall, Tite’s men were in control of the contest. El Tri will be ruing their missed opportunities, especially at the start of the match, when their energy stunned the Brazilians. The South Americans recovered and the win never looked in doubt after Neymar scored.
Belgium had to stage a thrilling comeback to overcome a brave Japanese side (3-2). The second half of that match was the best one during the 2018 World Cup so far. Akira Nishino did a phenomenal job studying Belgium’s team and setting up his in a perfect position to counter its opponent’s strengths. For a large part of 70 minutes, the Asians were the better team. Then, Roberto Martinez made the two substitutions which changed the entire complexity of the match. The Japanese couldn’t cope with Belgium’s numbers in attack and then a naive moment of inexperience at the end led to a last-second goal by Chadli to schedule a date with Brazil.
Neymar has been one of the most influential players of the tournament.
Most shots on target 1⃣2⃣
Most chances created 1⃣6⃣
Most fouls suffered 2⃣3⃣
Most dribbles attempted 3⃣5⃣Neymar has been causing havoc for #BRA at the #WorldCup so far. pic.twitter.com/yP6YVGr2Mo
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) July 2, 2018
Yet, he has made more headlines with his diving skills than with his dribbling skills. The Mexicans were really upset with the Brazilian star after their Round of 16 fixture was over.
“The delay for one player was even four minutes, and that is a lesson for even children who play. This should be a game of men and not so much clowning around.” – Mexican coach Juan Carlos Osorio
“In the end, it’s football. If he doesn’t want to be touched then he should do something else,”
“If he wants to be on the floor he should go lie down in his house.” – Miguel Layun, who was involved in a sideline incident with Neymar
Neymar’s antics won’t stop, though. They’re a part of who he is as a person and as a player. The Red Devils need to prepare and be ready for them.
Brazil – Belgium prediction
Both teams have tactical black holes which can be exploited. The space between the defensive and midfield lines in Tite’s formation against Mexico was enormous. The main reason was because Brazil pushed so many players forward. A team with a lone forward can’t exploit that gap. The Mexicans showed a team with three can and that’s exactly what Belgium has in Lukaku, Hazard and Mertens.
On the other side, Belgium is really vulnerable on the wings. Meunier and Carrasco are neither here nor there. Japan was taking advantage of Belgium’s weakness all game long. Sakai and Haraguchi on the right and Nagatomo and Inui on the left were constantly overlapping, making it impossible for Meunier and Carrasco to stop them. It’s something Roberto Martinez will have to address if he wants to have any chance at eliminating the World Cup favorite.
That is only one area of concern for his team. There’s one more. Belgium looked too slow and indifferent against Japan up until he made those two changes (Fellaini and Chadli). It’s not the first time. As if Martinez is being too cautious when he shouldn’t be. He has one of the most skilled teams in the world and he’s not letting them play with freedom in attack. As soon as they were asked to chase a result and attack on Monday, they looked unstoppable.
Casemiro will be suspended for this game, which means Fernandinho will likely draw the start at the defensive midfielder position. Brazil is still charging. Pacing yourself and saving energy is rational, but you’ve got to be careful. Charge for too long and you might not get the chance to show how you look at 100%.
