Brazil to take on Serbia in their final group-stage match
What's the story
Brazil would face Serbia in their final game of the group stage tonight. Brazil's World Cup campaign has been a smooth sail so far, however, the physical might of the Serbians will test them when they take the field tonight. Notably, Brazil haven't yet qualified for the round of 16. Here is all you need to know about this high-octane World Cup encounter.
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Where can you watch this fixture?
Brazil vs Serbia match begins at 11:30 PM IST and will be shown live on Sony Ten 2 SD and HD, Sony Ten 1 HD and SD and Sony ESPN SD. You can also live stream it on Sony LIV app as well.
Just a point away
A draw is enough for Brazil to progress through
Brazil just need a draw to progress to the knock-out stages. Tite's men were bailed out by Coutinho and Neymar as they scored two goals in stoppage time against Costa Rica. This win strengthened their bid to make it to the round of 16. However, Brazil have been weak against defending set pieces and corners. Serbia will be looking to capitalize on that.
Must win encounter
Serbia will have to come out all guns blazing
Serbia need to play their best football and pull off a miracle against Brazil if they have to reach the round of 16. Interestingly, as an independent nation, Serbia have never qualified for the knock-out stages. Despite their best efforts, they lost to Switzerland by a narrow margin. They know it's all or nothing against Brazil so they won't be holding back.
Head-to-head
History favors Brazil as they boast a superior record
This will be the second meeting between these two nations, with Brazil winning the first encounter in 2014 by a margin of 1-0. However, before Serbia became an independent nation, they were a part of Yugoslavia and they had faced Brazil on 18 occasions. In these 18 matches, they won just twice while drawing 7 and losing 9 games.
Team news
Costa and Danilo might miss out
Brazil would like to continue with their winning XI. However, right-back Danilo is recovering from a thigh problem and Douglas Costa is nursing a hamstring injury. For Serbia, six of their players have picked up yellow cards and could be suspended if they are booked again. But this would not stop them from naming a strong squad.
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Serbia: Probable Starting XI
Vladimir Stojkovic, Antonio Rukavina, Branislav Ivanovic, Dusko Tosic, Aleksandar Kolarov, Nemanja Matic, Luka Milivojevic, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Dusan Tadic, Filip Kostic and Aleksandar Mitrovic.
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Brazil: Probable Starting XI
Alisson, Fagner, Miranda, Thiago Silva, Marcelo, Casemiro, Paulinho, Willian, Philippe Coutinho, Neymar and Gabriel Jesus