Brazil v Australia Preview

Current world champions Brazil face Australia in Munich on Monday morning AEST in what is will be the Socceroos hardest match in their history.

The Socceroos are still on a high after the historical win over Japan, its first in world cup competitions, with Tim Cahill and John Aloisi the heroes. The players were allowed a day of rest by coach Guus Hiddink after a memorable performance which saw three goals in ten minutes seal a 3-1 victory to the Aussies in only their second world cup.

Mindful of the four yellow card’s picked up by several Aussies include goalscoring hero Cahill, Vince Grella, defender Craig Moore and striker John Aloisi, Hiddink may well rest several key players including Grella, however a result against the seleção is vital if the Australians are to progress from Group F.

Pleasing news for Aussie fans and Hiddink himself was Harry Kewell getting through 90 minutes against the Asian champions and he will be eager to test his mettle against the likes of Juan and Lucio on Monday morning. Just as eager is Everton star Tim Cahill, who came off the bench on the hour to earn himself a place in Australian football folklore and should start the game.

With no injury concerns at this stage, the greatest worry Hiddink may have will be how to stop the likes of Ronaldhino, Kaka and Adriano.

Meanwhile in stark contrast to the Socceroos, the Brazilian’s had a poor start to their opening Group F encounter, and had a Kaka strike to thank for defeating the Croatians in Munich, despite the Balkans side dominating much of the game.

Striker Ronaldo was roundly criticised for his performance against Croatia, and was forced into hospital after the match feeling unwell, although he has since returned to camp. Despite this Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira has come out in support of his maligned star, stating he will start against the Australians in Munich.

Fellow forward Adriano, who also had a lacklustre game should also start, but will need to improve on a lethargic performance against the Roos. Kaka was the standout performer against the Croats and will need to be tightly marked if the Australian’s are to escape the encounter with anything.

Ronaldinho is another player who performed well below the level that most people know he can perform at, with Parreira admitting to the media this week that the team had been well below their best, but in a potentially ominous sign for the Socceroos, the world cup winning coach from 94 believes his team were only playing at about 60% of their capacity.

The match takes place from the Allianz Area in Munich on Monday morning 2am (AEST) with the winner guaranteed a spot in the round of 16, whilst a draw would also not be the end of the Socceroos hopes in Germany 2006.

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