How we expect Brazil to lineup for their crucial World Cup quarter final against Colombia this evening.
The hopes and dreams of the Brazilian nation once again lie on the shoulders of the Selecao today, as Luiz Felipe Scolari’s men take on Colombia in the second 2014 FIFA World Cup quarter final.
The Colombians have been one of the tournament’s most entertaining teams and, in playmaker James Rodriguez, they have one of the stand out players in the World Cup so far, making them possibly the toughest opponents that Brazil have faced so far.
Brazilian talisman Neymar will be fit for the match, but Scolari will be without vital defensive midfielder Luiz Gustavo through suspension after he picked up a second yellow card of the tournament against Chile in the last sixteen.
Goalkeeper and Defence
GK) Julio Cesar
The penalty shoot-out hero of Brazil’s last sixteen scrape past Chile, Julio Cesar has little competition for the Brazilian goalkeeping position. If Colombia keep up their fine attacking form from the earlier rounds of the tournament then he could be a busy man.
RB) Maicon
One position where there is real debate is right back, where Scolari may choose to opt for Maicon over Dani Alves in an attempt to quell the Colombian threat from the flanks with a more defensively minded option. Whilst Alves is a fine weapon going forward, he has been caught out defensively already in the tournament.
CB) David Luiz
One of the leaders of this Brazilian team, former Chelsea centre back David Luiz showed his cool with a wonderful opening penalty in the shoot-out against Chile. He has formed a strong partnership with Silva in what is an impressive central defence.
CB) Thiago Silva
Parntering Luiz will be Brazilian captain and Paris Saint Germain stalwart Thiago Silva, who is undoubtedly one of the finest central defenders in world football. Not a vocal captain on the pitch, Silva leads the way with his fine displays at the heart of defence.
LB) Marcelo
Whilst Marcelo offers the same defensive limitations as Alves on the opposite flank, there is no opposite defensive replacement for the Real Madrid man who is almost certain to start on the left for Scolari.
Defensive Midfield
CM) Fernandinho
With key defensive midfielder Luiz Gustavo suspended, much of the burden when it comes to breaking up play and shielding the defence will fall on Manchester City’s Fernandinho, who broke through as the replacement for Paulinho after the Spurs man’s disappointing early performances.
CM) Paulinho
The obvious replacement for Gustavo is Paulinho, who would operate in a slightly more advanced position whilst Fernandinho shields the back four. Paulinho has endured a tough campaign but he does offer a genuine goal threat from the centre of the park.
Attacking Midfield and Striker
ARM) Hulk
Despite a disappointing World Cup that came to a nadir against Chile when he saw a goal disallowed for handball and missed a penalty in the shoot-out. Should be capable of offering more of a goal threat than he has so far in this tournament.
ACM) Oscar
Clearly suffering from the effects of a ridiculously long time playing football without an extended break, Oscar has struggled to make an impact since a delightful display against Croatia in the tournament’s opening game.
ALM) Neymar
Nominally starting on the left, but given the license to roam into space and find the ball, Neymar is the talisman of the Brazilian side and has arguably carried them to this stage. Took something of a kicking against Chile and was a doubt but has passed himself as fit to play.
SC) Fred
Centre forward Fred notably came in for criticism from Alan Shearer earlier in the tournament and it isn’t too hard to see why – his static displays have not been justified by the bulky striker offering a consistent goal threat for the Selecao.