Brazil take on Costa Rica in must win World Cup clash
Neymar and Brazil will need to step up their game when they take on Costa Rica in a must win Group E FIFA World Cup clash here on Friday.
Brazil drew 1-1 with Switzerland in their opener last weekend, and Neymar was much criticised for his underwhelming performance.
He was hunted down mercilessly by the Swiss, drawing 10 of Brazil's 19 fouls, as many as some entire teams.
Neymar also lacked the zip which made him the world's most expensive footballer when French heavyweights Paris St Germain signed him from Spanish giants FC Barcelona last August.
There was an injury scare after he limped out of Tuesday's training session with a sore ankle but to his team's relief the forward is expected to be fit for what could be Brazil's fourth World Cup match without a win.
Costa Rica, on their part, are desperate for points after they lost their opener to Serbia.
Quarter-finalists in the 2014 Brazil World Cup, Costa Rica have lost seven of their last nine matches and scored only five goals in the process.
"It is going to be a difficult game as are all games in the World Cup," Brazil attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho was quoted as saying.
"They are a good team. We saw the game against Serbia, and it was only decided through a dead ball situation."
"This is another opportunity for us. We need to do it, we are all focused. We are mentally strong to play a great game."
Iceland to continue playing to their strengths facing Nigeria
Iceland won’t be changing their strategy much when they play Nigeria in their FIFA World Cup Group D’s second game here on Friday.
Iceland’s opening game of the tournament saw them hold Argentina to a 1-1 draw to give Heimar Hallgrimsson’s side a fighting chance of reaching the last 16. But to do that they realistically need to beat a Nigeria side which is disappointed in their first game when they lost 0-2 to Croatia, reports Xinhua news agency.
The achievement of the Icelandic side can be put into perspective by the fact that the country has a population 556 times smaller than Nigeria, but as they showed in the 2016 European Championships and in qualifying for Russia, Iceland are not going to be intimidated by anyone, but neither are they going to be overconfident.
Nearly all of Iceland’s best recent results have come when they surrender possession to their rivals. Indeed, they had less than 30 per cent possession when they beat England in France in 2016 and drew against Argentina in Moscow five days ago.
“We knew they would have the possession, they have many of the best attacking players in the world. But we have a team that is at its best when we have the opposition in front of us, and we have clinical attacking players when we attack,” Iceland’s hero of that game, goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson said after facing Lionel Messi.
Iceland can also expect to have around 20,000 fans cheering them on in Volgograd as they look to write another chapter in their incredible recent history.
Serbia, Switzerland face-off in crunch Group E clash
Serbia will face a big challenge bidding to register their second consecutive win, this time against a Swiss side that is confident after holding Brazil to a draw when they face-off in a FIFA World Cup Group E game here on Friday.
Serbia defeated Costa Rica 1-0, riding on Aleksandar Kolarov’s left-footed free-kick, in their group stage opener. And a win over the Swiss at the Samara Arena will nearly propell them to the second round but it will be yet another complex game.
Switzerland have lost just one of their past 23 matches: a 0-2 defeat to Portugal in a World Cup qualifier last October. In pre-World Cup friendlies, the European side drew 1-1 with Spain and beat Japan 2-0.
Vladimir Petkovic-coached Switzerland carried on that form with an impressive 1-1 draw against Brazil in their World Cup opener on Sunday, showing remarkable defensive solidity and enough potency in attack to suggest that they might cause Serbia problems in Kaliningrad.
For Switzerland, Fabian Schar and Manuel Akanji are likely to play in central defence and there is a chance Johan Djourou could also start. Stephen Lichtsteiner and Ricardo Rodriguez will be the full backs with Granit Xhaka, Blerim Dzemaili and Valon Behrami in midfield. Up front Xherdan Shakiri, Steven Zuber and centre-forward forward Haris Seferovic will provide pace on the break.
The match against Brazil showed the Swiss can soak up a lot of pressure and keep their shape when they don’t have the ball, which will be important too on Friday.
For Serbia, holding midfielder Nemanja Matic, who is indispensable in the Manchester United midfield, will be key in his ball distribution.
