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The tilt between Brazil and Switzerland will be played at the Rostov Arena in Rostov on June 17th. The top position in this group is pretty much reserved for the Seleção, but the games that are expected to win are usually the hardest ones, so Brazil must be aware of Switzerland’s quality and the fact that they are not an easy team to defeat.
Brazil vs. Switzerland
Three-Way: 1: Brazil -250; X: +380 Draw; 2: Switzerland +850 (Odds provided by Delaware Park Sportsbook)
Spread -1.5: Brazil +114; Switzerland -149
Total 2.5 goals: Over -111; Under -111
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The road to the World Cup
Brazil continued the tradition of the only team that participated in every World Cup, and the five-time World champions will be playing in their 21st tournament, after winning the CONMEBOL qualification zone in style. After disappointing quarter-finals in 2006 and 2010, the Brazilians had high hopes when they hosted the competition four years ago, but the stunning defeat to Germany in the semis destroyed them mentally, so they couldn’t even win the bronze medal.
On the other hand, Switzerland made it to their 11th World Cup and fourth in a row, and their biggest success so far is the quarter-finals, but the last time in 1954 when they hosted the tournament. They advanced to the Round of 16 in the previous WC, but Argentina stopped them with a winner in extra time, and Switzerland is hoping to reach the knockout phase this time around as well.
Recent Form
Brazil suffered only one defeat in nearly two years and 21 matches, while they are unbeaten in the previous 11 games. Tite’s side played six international friendlies since the last November and recorded five wins as the only draw came with England, 0-0. Brazil then went on to beat Russia, Germany, Croatia, and Austria, without conceding a single goal along the way.
Switzerland also has just one loss in the past two years and it was a 2-0 defeat to Portugal which cost them a top place in the qualification group, but they were in a fantastic run of ten wins before that loss. Vladimir Petković’s team faced four opponents in friendly matches this spring and even stayed undefeated against Spain, keeping the net intact against Greece, Panama, and Japan.
Players to watch
The best player and top-scorer of this generation, Neymar, will most definitely pose the greatest threat to Yann Sommer’s goal, and although the Swiss have an excellent defense that doesn’t allow plenty of goals, it would be almost impossible to keep the clean sheet facing this kind of world-class forward.
Switzerland also has a magician in their ranks, and despite not being highly regarded as Neymar, Xherdan Shaqiri likes to play at big tournaments and is eager to find a new club following Stoke City’s relegation, so I am convinced he will give everything he has to make Brazil’s day miserable.
Betting Trends:
- Brazil is without a loss in the last 11 games
- Brazil kept the net intact in seven out of the previous eight matches
- Switzerland conceded just one goal in the past six games
- Switzerland is without a defeat in the last six matches
Betting Prediction
They met on three occasions thus far and it is interesting to say that Switzerland actually beat Brazil in the previous encounter; it was 1-0 in a friendly back in 2013. I don’t believe that outcome will repeat on this one, but I also don’t think the Brazilians will dismantle the resilient Swiss. I would avoid playing on the winner because of the low odds, and I am not sure about the spread as well, so I am going with goals as I don’t expect to see them on both ends.
The Pick: Both teams to score NO (-137)