What Bettors Need To Know: Brazil vs. Ivory Coast
By ASHTON GREWAL
Odds: Brazil (-137), Ivory Coast (+484), Draw (+270); Spread (Brazil -0.5 and -1); Over/under (2.5)
Another key match in the Group of Death takes place Sunday in Soccer City. Brazil can secure their place in their place into the next round of the World Cup with a win over Ivory Coast, while the Elephants come in confident off a 0-0 draw against Portugal.
Game strategy
The five-time World Cup winners didn’t impress in their first match, especially considering the competition. North Korea, considered to be one of the weakest teams in the tournament, held the mighty Brazilians scoreless for the first 55 minutes.
"It's always more difficult when the other team plays with 10 at the back. But I think Ivory Coast will come out and try and play," Brazil midfielder Julio Baptista told Reuters.
Teammates Robinho and Julio Cesar echoed Baptista’s comments and were equally hopeful that Ivory Coast would play a more balanced style of play. But that might be wishful thinking.
Ivory Coast played with great physicality and tenacity against Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portuguese teammates. The Elephants know they’ll have to be just as good, if not better, defensively against Brazil.
"North Korea defended really well and annoyed Brazil, they serve as a good example,” Ivory Coast starting forward Salomon Kalou told reporters. “We have the players who can make a difference, our strength will always be in attack, but we must focus on defense.
“When you play against a team that is stronger than you, one has to stop them from playing, and afterwards to play on ones strengths: For us it is technique and catching them on the counter-attack. We must on no account allow Brazil to play their natural game."
Players to watch
Didier Drogba, Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba is expected to start against Brazil. The Chelsea international played 25 minutes with a soft cast on against Portugal and nearly netted a late goal that would have broken a scoreless tie.
Drogba, considered by many to be among the best strikers in the world, fractured his elbow in a World Cup warm-up against Japan on June 4.
Early indications suggest the Elephants will roll out in a 4-1-2-3 formation, meaning that Drogba will be accompanied by two other forwards. Drogba and his fellow attackers will have to show discipline and drop back if this is indeed the alignment Ivory Coast coach Sven-Goran Eriksson uses.
Kaka, Brazil
The 2007 World Player of the Year winner was the driving force behind Brazil’s Confederations Cup win last summer but injury plagued him in his first season at Real Madrid.
He brushed aside accusations that he still wasn’t fully fit leading up to the World Cup but his performance against North Korea did little to silence his naysayers. The talented playmaker was nearly invisible and was substituted at the 78-minute mark.
"In every game he will improve," teammate Gilberto Silva told ESPN Soccernet. "It is very good to see him because he is really hungry to do well for Brazil and for himself. All the team are behind him and he has got the confidence of everyone. I am sure for the next games he will be much, much better."
Don’t feel bad for Brazil their best player is not in top form. The Selecao have multiple all-world talents to replace Kaka should manager Dunga choose so. It'd also be a seamless transition for Robinho, who was easily the best player on the pitch against North Korea, to slide over to Kaka's position and take over the part as playmaker.
Know your enemy
While Ivory Coast and Brazil have never played before in World Cup history, the two opposing managers are quite familiar with each other.
Dunga played under Eriksson for one season back in the late ‘80s at Fiorentina.
"I know the manager very well,” Eriksson said of Dunga. "Even as a player, he knew tactically everything about football. He's one of the best footballers I ever had, he was fantastic, defending, attacking, he knew exactly everything.
"I'm not surprised that they (Brazil) are extremely well-organized, it's not easy to score a goal against them."
Notes not to forget
Brazil have never played Ivory Coast but they are 5-0 against African teams in five World Cup matches. Even better, they outscored those five opponents 13-0.
This is just the second World Cup appearance for Ivory Coast, although their other trip was just four years ago in Germany. They failed to advance out of the group stage but played tough against soccer superpower nations Argentina and Holland.
Brazil, on the other hand, have qualified for all 19 World Cups and have won the tournament more often than any other country.