Brazil vs Switzerland match preview
The Brazilians cruised through qualifying by topping the CONMEBOL table recording huge wins over Argentina, Uruguay and Chile.
Tite’s side won all three of their international friendlies in the lead-up to the competition including a 1-0 win in Germany against the defending world champions.
The five-time World Cup winners enter their 21st tournament ranked 2nd in the world and look a solid bet to go all the way in Russia.
Despite having booked their place in Russia going through the UEFA play-off spots, the Swiss enter the World Cup ranked 6th in the world.
In preparation for their 11th appearance at the finals, Switzerland recorded three wins in four whilst also managing to hold Spain to a 1-1 draw.
Manager Vladimir Petković will be looking to call upon plenty of the experience in his side with a number of his star men having played many games at the top level of European football throughout their careers.
BRAZIL
The gloom that engulfed Brazil after the 7-1 debacle against Germany in the 2014 World Cup has lifted.
Brazil were the first team to clinch qualification for Russia and had memorable wins on the way, including a 3-0 success over Argentina in the same Mineirao stadium of the 2014 semi-final humiliation.
It took the appointment of Tite in September 2016 to revive Brazil. Under his helm, there have been 13 wins, three draws and only one loss - in a friendly against Argentina.
Key player: Neymar (Paris St-Germain) - Should be at the peak of his game aged 26 in Russia, the forward will have his best chance to overthrow Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo if Brazil win.
Coach: Adenor Bacchi - Universally known as Tite, he turned Brazil from flops to favourites. Forget Dunga's muscular 2014 World Cup team that depended heavily on Neymar, Brazil are now about organisation and flair.
SWITZERLAND
Now is the time for Switzerland to be more than the sum of its talented parts. The quarter-finals are a realistic goal.
Don't call it a golden generation, but the Swiss have a core of players from the 2009 Under-17 world champion team and a depth of tournament experience.
However, those World Cup and European Championship adventures ended, at best, in the round of 16. Switzerland last won a World Cup knockout game in 1954, and that was just in a group play-off as host nation.
Critics can pick holes in how the Swiss qualified: Nine straight wins in a weak group, and a play-off against Northern Ireland decided by a dubious penalty call.
A well-balanced team has seemed to need a high-class central defender and reliable scorer. In Basel's Manuel Akanji, it might have found that defender.
Key player: Valon Behrami (Udinese) - Going to his fourth straight World Cup in the elder statesman role for a young squad, speaking all of Switzerland's three main languages. His absence weighed heavily in the group-deciding loss at Portugal.
Coach: Vladimir Petkovic - The unheralded Bosnian coach now seems to have grown into the role three years after succeeding two-time Champions League winner Ottmar Hitzfeld.
For three months, a whole nation feared it might not happen, but Neymar will take to the field with his Brazilian teammates when they kick off their World Cup campaign against Switzerland on Sunday. The world's most expensive player appears to have recovered fully from the fractured foot that required an operation in March, with the only slight concern being his possible lack of match fitness. Since suffering the injury in Paris Saint-Germain's game against Marseille in late February, Neymar has managed just 129 minutes on the field. But those minutes came in Brazil's recent warm-up friendlies, with a goal from the bench against Croatia and then a brilliant strike in a win in Austria last weekend. He will be in the starting line-up in Rostov-on-Don, for what will be his first game at a World Cup since being taken off with a fractured vertebra in Brazil's win against Colombia as hosts in the 2014 quarter-finals. And Neymar's importance in this new-look team - he is one of only six survivors from four years ago - is clear from the comments of his teammates in Sochi.
When is World Cup 2018 Brazil vs Switzerland match?
The World Cup 2018 Brazil vs Switzerland match will take place on Sunday, June 17, 2018.
Where is World Cup 2018 Brazil vs Switzerland match?
The World Cup 2018 Brazil vs Switzerland match will be played at Rostov Arena.
What time does The World Cup 2018 Brazil vs Switzerland match begin?
The World Cup 2018 Brazil vs Switzerland match begins at 11:30 pm (IST).
Which TV channels will broadcast the World Cup 2018 Brazil vs Switzerland match?
The World Cup 2018 Brazil vs Switzerland match will be shown on Sony Ten 2 SD and HD, Sony Ten 3 SD and HD, Sony ESPN SD.
How do I watch online live streaming of the World Cup 2018 Brazil vs Switzerland match?
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