The only time these two countries met at the World Cup, the Brazilians came slightly on top thanks to a lone goal by Kaka. This time, the team is different and Kaka is part of the big names that coach Luiz Felipe Scolari controversially left out of his 23-man squad for this year’s tournament.
On Thursday, football fans will want to see more than just a single goal. Coincidentally, both Brazil and Croatia enter the World Cup 2014’s opening match having triumphed 1-0 last weekend against Serbia and Australia respectively, as they played their last warm-up game.
Croatia will be under immense pressure as the 2014 FIFA World Cup hosts start as clear favourites but it could be a 50/50 affair in the middle of the pitch. The Croatians’ midfield includes Rakitic and Kovacic and is led by the quiet maestro, Luka Modric. Brazil have Oscar, Gustavo and Paulinho.
Which side will lose the midfield battle?
Elsewhere on the field, there will be Neymar and Fred who may give Vedran Corluka a real nightmare. Unfortunately for Croatia, influential striker Mario Mandzukic will not play as he is suspended. Their attempts on goals may have to come from the midfield with Real Madrid Champions League winner Modric known for scoring outrageous long-range goals occasionally.
Aside Modric, there is Eduardo too. The Brazilian-born striker could score his 30th goal in 64 international appearances on Thursday.
Still, numbers do not favour the Croatians as no host nation has ever lost its opening match at the FIFA World Cup. Adding to that is the fact that Brazil haven’t lost a World Cup group stage match since 1998 when they went down 2-1 against Norway in France.
Will the game produce a red card? Possibly, since there have been six reds in Croatia’s last nine World Cup fixtures. The level of excitement in this clash in Sao Paulo will certainly set the tone for the rest of the tournament. Neutrals would be hoping for pure entertainment!
Where to watch the match – live stream, start time, TV channels, live scores
Watch Brazil vs Croatia live on Thursday, June 12, 2014:
In USA at 16:00 ET:
| United States | Univision, ESPN Radio, Futbol de Primera Radio, Watch ESPN, Univision Deportes, SiriusXM FC, ESPN3, ESPN Deportes, Univision Deportes En Vivo,ESPN |
In UK at 21:00 BST:
| United Kingdom | ITV Player, STV Scotland, UTV, ITV 1 |
In Canada at 16:00 ET:
| Canada | CBC, TSN 1260 Edmonton, Univision Canada, ICI Radio-Canada En Direct,TSN 690 Montreal, TEAM 1410 Vancouver, Mediaset Italia, TSN 1050 Toronto,Radio Canada - CBC, CBC Sports Live Streaming |
In Brazil at 17:00:
| Brazil | ESPN Brasil, Fox Sports 2 Brazil, FOX Sports 1 Brasil, Globo, Band |
In Croatia at 22:00:
| Croatia | HRT 2, ZDF |
Visit the Brazil-Croatia match page for worldwide live listings and live scores throughout the World Cup 2014 opening match!
