Score Prediction : Brazil Vs Chile World Cup 2010The pre-tournament favorite, Brazil have offered little reason not to think they are still the best team in the final 16.Chile was always the second favorite to make it out of Group H with Spain, and they too have met expectations.
But do those expectations include a massive upset of their fellow South American club, the top team in the world on Monday?
It will be difficult for the Chile, especially considering the suspension situation.They will be without three important players for the match: Midfielder Marco Estrada, and defenders Gary Medal and Waldo Ponce. These are huge losses for Chile's coach Marcelo Bielsa.
Brazil, meanwhile, have quality players returning. Kaka, who was suspended for the match with Portugal, will be back; and Robinho, who missed the game with left thigh injury. Robinho claims he could have played if needed, and should be close to 100% for this clash.Brazil have dominated the series. They have won 46, lost only six, and there has been 12 draws.
Brazil beat Chile in both World Cup qualifiers, outscoring them 7-2 in the two games. Brazil has also beaten Chile in both previous meetings at the World Cup. So, with all this against them, can Chile win this game?
On a positive note, Chile did well in the previous game with Spain. They were able to hold possession and create opportunities, almost all of them coming out of the midfield. However, once Chile went down to 10 men it became a different story, as Spain controlled the ball and the chances.
Bielsa's club won't be in awe of Brazil, despite their poor record against them. This is a team with talent and a lot of heart. They will not roll over for powerhouse Brazil.Brazil's coach Dunga was frustrated after their last game in the group stage with Portugal. The highly anticipated match was disappointing for fans for its lack of scoring chances. The game ended in a 0-0 draw.
"The Portuguese team defended from midfield backwards,'' Dunga said. "It made it difficult to penetrate their defense. We nevertheless had three or four goalscoring opportunities."We are not happy. Brazil always play to win and we tried to attack until the end. Portugal didn't want to attack, they wanted to defend. My team is always ready to go forward and that was the case today.''
Brazil does have a couple of injury concerns. Midfielder Felipe Melo is doubtful with a left ankle injury and substitute Julio Baptista is not likely to be available after injuring his knee on Friday, although his absence is not as substantial.
It is possible Chile may attempt to do what Portugal did and frustrate Brazil, defending from midfield back. But I think Chile knows that even doing this they are unlikely to keep Brazil from scoring, especially being short in quality defenders.
Chile will employ more of an offensive, controlled attack, much like they did in the early going versus Spain. They are unlikely to come out on top in a game with a lot of goals, but if they can score one or two and keep Brazil's chances to a reasonable amount, anything is possible.
My prediction Brazil 3 - chile 1
