Houston, June 27: Five-time champions Brazil will look to continue their march at the FIFA World Cup when they take on Japan in a mouth-watering Round of 32 clash at the NRG Stadium on Monday.
The Group C winners face the Group F runners-up with a place in the last 16 at stake, where the winners will meet either Ivory Coast or Norway.
Brazil recovered impressively after opening their campaign with a disappointing 1-1 draw against Morocco. Carlo Ancelotti’s side responded with convincing 3-0 victories over Haiti and Scotland to top their group on goal difference ahead of Morocco, with Vinicius Junior and Matheus Cunha playing key roles in the attacking third.The Selecao have now won five of their last six matches and appear to be gathering momentum at the right stage of the tournament. They have also tightened up defensively, keeping clean sheets in their last two outings after previously conceding in six successive matches.
However, Brazil will not underestimate Japan, who stunned them 3-2 in an international friendly last October to register their first-ever victory over the South American giants. That result highlighted Japan’s growing stature on the international stage and underlined their credentials as one of the tournament’s potential surprise packages.
Japan secured second place in Group F after collecting four points from three matches. Following a 1-1 draw against Sweden in their final group fixture, the Samurai Blue advanced to the knockout rounds thanks in large part to goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, whose series of crucial saves preserved the result. (AP)
