Brazil are ready for this, with or without Neymar.
Brazil headline Group E as Switzerland, Serbia and Costa Rica fight it out to join the five-time champions in the next round.
In 2014, Brazil’s hopes rested on the shoulders of Neymar, and the back injury he suffered in the quarter-final win over Colombia sparked the meltdown which led to the 7-1 humiliation against Germany in the semis.
Fast forward four years and the nation is again sweating on his fitness. The world’s most expensive player is recovering from a foot injury suffered playing for Paris Saint-Germain in February.
When qualification began, the Brazilian national team weren’t in a good place under Dunga. But the arrival of Tite in June 2016 did wonders for the team. Players recovered their form, they became feared once more and the results started pouring in. Brazil became the first national team (after the hosts) to secure its place in the World Cup, finishing top of the South American qualifiers.
Four years ago, Brazil relied heavily on Neymar’s presence but things have changed as they head to Russia. Since Tite’s arrival, the PSG star has been given more freedom to play and as a result, the team is more of a unit now.
Tite also didn’t mince his words when revealing his squad earlier this week.
“Brazil is one of the favourites given the football it has shown, given its consistency. That’s not being arrogant, it’s just telling the truth.
The 26-year-old has been out since requiring surgery for a broken bone in his foot while playing for Paris Saint-Germain, and is only now easing back into training.
According to team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar, the bone is making “excellent progress”.
He is expected to be ready for the first of two friendlies on 3 June against Croatia.
Of course, Tite, like everyone else, is hopeful Neymar will be fit when Brazil face Switzerland in their World Cup opener on Sunday, 17 June.
“We will be a good deal stronger with Neymar. He’s one of the three best players in the world, but for him to be at his peak, he needs a solid team around him.
Second place will be a close affair between Serbia, Switzerland and Costa Rica.
The Costa Ricans turned heads with their quarter-final appearance in 2014 when they took the mighty Netherlands to a penalty shootout. But the depth of their current team will make it tough for them against the Serbs and Swiss with the majority of their players playing outside of the world’s major leagues.
Serbia, ranked 37th in the world, return to the World Cup stage after missing out in 2014. They were defeated just once on the road to Russia and saw off the challenge of the Republic of Ireland and Wales to finish top of the standings.
The Swiss open their account against the Brazilians which won’t be easy but the Red Crusaders, led by Xherdan Shaqiri, have proven to be a tough unit to break down so a challenge for second place is a very achievable goal for them.