Brazil

Group E: Brazil – World Cup Betting Odds & Tips

Five-time world champions and the tournament’s most successful nation they may be, but Brazil travel to Russia with a significant World Cup score to settle. Four years ago they hosted this event for just the second time in its history and a soccer-mad nation fully expected that the ghost of losing in the decisive game against Uruguay 64 years earlier would be laid to rest.

What transpired was a Brazilian footballing catastrophe. Their semi-final against Germany in Belo Horizonte saw the host nation five goals down inside 30 minutes in a scarcely believable turn of events that eventually saw them humbled 7-1.

A nation went into mourning and the team could not recover for a third place play-off four days later, going down 3-0 to the Netherlands. Make no mistake, this Brazilian squad is going to arrive in Russia with an undeniable will to atone for what happened on home soil four years ago.

On paper, Brazil have been handed a decent draw in Group E, they start in Rostov-On-Don on June 17 against Switzerland before moving to face Costa Rica in Saint Petersburg five days later. Their group stage journey ends on June 27 in the Russian capital where they face Serbia.

It could have been much tougher but Brazil will be wary of any mistakes, they are 1.30 to win Group E and the runners-up in this section run into the Group F winners, with world champions Germany top seeds there.

Brazil have enjoyed a renaissance under the watch of current boss Tite, who took over in June 2016. He inherited a team that was sixth in the South American qualifying section and teetering on the brink of disaster by failing to make Russia, after winning just three of their first nine games.

Tite led his side to nine consecutive victories, top spot in qualifying and they became the first side to join hosts Russia at the finals, a stunning reversal in fortunes.

The Brazilian squad is laced with attacking quality – Philippe Coutinho, Willian, Roberto Firmino, Gabriel Jesus and the world’s most expensive player, Neymar, to name a few. The challenge will be to prove that they can survive in the cut-throat nature of tournament football over a one-month duration.

They look well-equipped for this redemption mission and Brazil are 6.00 to win their sixth World Cup in Russia.