Regarded by many as the favourites to go all the way at the 2022 World Cup

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Regarded by many as the favourites to go all the way at the 2022 World Cup, five-time world champions Brazil kick off their Group G campaign against Serbia at the Lusail Stadium on Thursday. The two nations will renew acquaintances with one another after locking horns in the group stage four years ago, when the Selecao came out on top with a 2-0 victory.

While 20 years without a World Cup crown may not seem that bad to most nations participating in Qatar 2022, it’s a source of pain for record five-time winners Brazil who are aiming to bring that hurt to an end this winter. The much-fancied Seleção are the bookmakers’ premier pick to scoop the World Cup crown, and with a star-studded line-up boasting some of Europe’s premier entertainers, Brazil are certainly expected to be pleasing on the eye.
While off-field issues in Qatar threaten to overshadow football’s premier event, Brazil will be keen to ensure the focus remains on the pitch as they seek to extend a 15-match unbeaten World Cup group stage run (W12, D3) when they take on Serbia. Whatever the result, it will be a landmark day for boss Tite, who will become the first manager to lead Brazil at back-to-back World Cups since Telê Santana in 1982 and 1986!
With Brazil ranked #1 in FIFA’s rankings, they may be rubbing their hands to open their campaign against 25th-placed Serbia. The Serbians may have something to say about that, having come through their World Cup Qualification group unscathed (W6, D2), though they also had a similarly impressive qualifying record for the 2018 World Cup and went on to be eliminated in the group stage – a group they ironically also shared with Brazil!
That 2018 elimination came despite winning their group opener (1-0 vs Costa Rica), and with more attacking talent in Serbia’s line-up than ever before, boss Dragan Stojković may be quietly confident he can oversee Serbia’s first World Cup group stage progression as an independent nation. That attacking talent may be called upon here too, as Serbia conceded in each of their eight qualification games and boast just two clean sheets across their last three World Cup appearances (W2, L7).

Date: 23/11/2022
Time: 22:00
Venue: Lusail Iconic Stadium (Lusail)
Pick for this match:
“1” – @ 1.45 ( BETWAY )