Brazil have played Haiti three times and scored seventeen goals to one. That is a history with very little room for doubt in it. And yet the five-time world champions reach Philadelphia under a pressure nobody expected, because their opener against Morocco fell well short of the mark. Carlo Ancelotti watched his side chase the ball for long stretches and had Vinícius Júnior and Alisson to thank for the point. Haiti sit bottom of the group after defeat and have nothing left to lose. A side with nothing to lose can be awkward.
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The market
Both teams to score: No is the stronger side ```
Brazil drew 1-1 with Morocco in the first round and were second-best for most of the opening half. Vinícius levelled with a fine strike, but otherwise the match was a reminder of the cracks: slow build-up, a porous midfield, and flanks that Morocco kept getting at. Alisson saved two clear chances late on to rescue the point. Ancelotti has plenty to pick from, but age and a lack of pace showed in that first game.
The biggest question surrounds Neymar, who according to reports is managing a muscle injury and was not even on the bench against Morocco. He is said to have done some light training and has not been formally ruled out, but his involvement here is in doubt. Changes are expected: reports suggest Danilo could come in for Ibañez at the back and Fabinho replace Casemiro in midfield, though Ancelotti has not confirmed a starting eleven.
Haiti lost 0-1 to Scotland when a McGinn shot deflected off a defender and found the net on 28 minutes. They surprised with their energy and attacking intent but couldn't score — one of their recurring problems. Sébastien Migné has not confirmed his lineup either.
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AT THE TOURNAMENT SO FAR
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This game won't be decided by whether Brazil are the better team — they plainly are. It will be decided by whether they can play through a deep block without leaving themselves open in their own half. That's the crux. The weak flanks Morocco exposed are exactly the area Haiti would want to attack, with Frantzdy Pierrot and Duckens Nazon — the country's all-time leading scorer — up top and quick on the break.
The question is whether Brazil's reshuffled midfield can control the tempo and protect a high line better than it did against Morocco. If Fabinho comes in for Casemiro, it's about shutting the middle that stood open last time. Haiti will sit deep, pack the space between the lines and wait for a chance to break. The historical problem is that they have scored a single goal in three meetings with Brazil. The pace is there; the finish has been missing. If Brazil keep the ball high and close down the wide areas, this becomes one-way traffic. If the game gets stuck the way it did against Morocco, a gap opens for the visitors.
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HEAD-TO-HEAD
came in the 7-1 defeat in 2016. This is the sides' first competitive meeting since. ```
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THE PICK
Both teams to score: No ```
The talent gap is too wide to build on anything else, and for all the flatness of their opening match, Brazil have both the need and the personnel to take this game by the scruff of the neck against a side that has scored one goal against them in history. The weight of Vinícius and company against a deep block points to more than two goals, and to a clean sheet.
The risk is that Brazil turn up as lifeless as they did against Morocco, fail to break a packed defence early and let the game grind — in which case the result could be a narrow 1-0 that ducks under the goals line. And while Haiti have rarely taken their chances against Brazil, those weak flanks are a genuine worry: one counter that finds the net throws "both teams to score — no" into doubt.
The game is live on RÚV, Iceland's national broadcaster, but it doesn't kick off until 00:30 Iceland time in the early hours of Saturday. So it's a coffee and a late night for anyone planning to watch Vinícius and company try to put things right across the Atlantic — the channel and stream can be confirmed on the RÚV schedule nearer the time.