Brazil start the World Cup as the favourites as they try to make amends for their failure on home turf four years ago, and it's easy to see why with their leaked starting XI. How time flies. Four years ago Brazil hosted the World Cup with all the pressure on them as hosts and the team who have won it more times than anyone else. However despite being favourites and having Neymar to pin all their hopes on they actually had a pretty average side, not playing the samba football the country is infamous for and not with a particularly great manager in Dunga. Loading… Advert 10 Whilst they made it to the semi finals they were never convincing especially once Neymar was injured. Their hopes this time are very different and Tite has them playing better football once again and they certainly have better options upfront with Gabriel Jesus and Roberto Firmino battling for the number nine spot instead of Fred and Jo. Speaking of Jesus, the Manchester City striker's friend accidentally leaked on social media Brazil's starting XI for their opening game against Switzerland: Journalists attended the first 15 minutes of Brazil's training session and then were asked to leave. Players' entourages were allowed to stay, though. And here comes the best part: one of Gabriel Jesus' pals posted an Instagram story and revealed Tite's XI for WC debut. Congrats! - Marcus Alves (@alves_marcus) June 13, 2018 Advert 10 Alisson; Danilo, Thiago Silva, Miranda and Marcelo; Casemiro, Paulinho and Philippe Coutinho; Willian, Neymar and Gabriel Jesus - Marcus Alves (@alves_marcus) June 13, 2018 Brazil kick off their tournament against the Swiss on Sunday, in the 7pm kick off, and it's a very good team that they'll be taking into that match. Neymar will be one of the favourites for the Golden Boot but the talent they possess around him is very impressive too and there's goals throughout the team and Casemiro gives them better protection at the back then they had four years ago. The Selecao also play Costa Rica, a week tomorrow, before finishing the Group Stage against Serbia on June 27th. Advert 10<doc-sep>Photo : Getty If you made a list of everything you’d want from a favorite to win the World Cup, Brazil would tick every box. Advertisement Want a great defense? Brazil have one of the strongest and most well-rounded in the tournament, with maybe the best left back of all time in Marcelo, a trio of exceptional central defenders who are all big, strong, quick, and good on the ball in Thiago Silva, João Miranda, and Marquinhos, and (the one weakness in the starting lineup) a merely pretty solid right back in Danilo. Looking for a good midfield? Well, what kind of “good” are you after? If you’re interested in a group of lung-busting, hard-charging, muscly guys to dominate the center of the pitch physically, then you won’t find a better combination in the world than Casemiro, Paulinho, and Fernandinho. In search of more creativity from the midfield, someone who can crack the safe of a deep-set defense with guile rather than power? Then just drop Fernandinho and play Philippe Coutinho in his place and you immediately have the best of both worlds, Coutinho as the lock pick and Paulinho as the sledgehammer. Would you want this team to have a deadly attack? Players who can create scoring opportunities all by themselves with long solo dribbles and worldie goals? Dead-eye finishers to make sure every time the opponent gives up a big chance they will be punished on the scoreboard? Speedy guys who can threaten on the counter? Artist types who can thrive while maintaining extended stretches with possession of the ball and the delicate skills to turn those long possessions into killer chances on goal? Forwards who are committed enough defensively to protect the players behind them and maybe cause a couple dangerous turnovers with some high pressing? A single superstar with the personality to say “Fuck it, I’m gonna go win this for us” and the talent to actually do so? Brazil’s forward line of Neymar, Gabriel Jesus, Willian, and Coutinho can be and do all those things and more. Ah, but is there depth to compensate for any inopportune injuries or drops of form from the starters or just to switch things up tactically? Why yes, Brazil have players like Ederson and Filipe Luís and Marquinhos and Fred and Roberto Firmino, all of whom would be surefire starters for almost every other national team, waiting on the bench waiting to offer their own particular talents when they are called on. How about the coach? Is he smart enough to draw up sound, flexible tactical systems that get the best out of his best guys? Has he been around long enough to do so? Yep, Tite is Brazil’s manager and he’s one of the best in the game. He came along two years ago when Brazil were really floundering with ill-conceived tactics and no playing identity and righted the ship almost immediately. His Brazil are tough, tenacious, smart, aggressive, versatile, and well balanced—things Brazil haven’t been for a long time. As you can see, on paper Brazil have everything anyone could reasonably ask for in a national team coming into a World Cup. Germany and Spain also check most all these same boxes, but their flaws (Germany’s central midfield is sort of weak, Spain’s likely starting lineup is a little old and slow, and both countries lack truly world-class forward lines) are noticeably more prevalent than Brazil’s. Brazil are the best team in the field, and all those objective measures of squad and managerial strength will only be magnified by the intense drive on the part of all the players to erase the memories of the 7-1 nightmare, and to end the country’s 16-year World Cup drought (an eternity to the winningest national team in history) by lifting the trophy this summer. For all those reasons, no team is better positioned to get their hands on the World Cup this summer than Brazil. Advertisement Roster Goalkeepers: Alisson (Roma), Cássio (Corinthians), Ederson (Manchester City) Defenders: Thiago Silva (Paris Saint-Germain), João Miranda (Inter), Pedro Geromel (Grêmio), Filipe Luís (Atlético Madrid), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain), Danilo (Manchester City), Fagner (Corinthians) Advertisement Midfielders: Casemiro (Real Madrid), Renato Augusto (Beijing Sinobo Guoan), Philippe Coutinho (Barcelona), Paulinho (Barcelona), Fernandinho (Manchester City), Fred (Shakhtar Donetsk), Willian (Chelsea) Forwards: Douglas Costa (Bayern Munich), Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City), Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Taison (Shakhtar Donetsk) Advertisement Nickname A Seleção (The Selection) FIFA Ranking 2 Manager Tite Players to Watch Neymar More than anyone other than maybe Lionel Messi, Neymar needs to win this World Cup. To validate his abilities as a player, his choices about the direction of his career, and his place in the standing of all-time great players, Neymar really needs to end this summer with either the Jules Rimet trophy in hand or a string of performances so fantastic that the takeaway from the World Cup is “Boy, how on Earth did Brazil not win when Neymar played like that?” No pressure, Neymar! Advertisement Neymar has just recently returned from an injury he suffered in February that not only prematurely ended his club season but also put his playing career’s mortality in full view. Neymar made the understandable and even laudable but also risky move of leaving Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain last summer. After his injury led the team to a Champions League Round of 16 exit, the man everyone once so confidently decreed would be the next king of the sport’s bright future suddenly looked more cloudy than it ever had before. No longer the precocious youngster with the world at his feet and plenty of time to conquer it, Neymar is now 26, at the full peak of his powers, and without the kind of self-determined success he so clearly covets. Neymar left Barcelona to validate his legacy by becoming the decisive player in a team that won important trophies—something that was never going to happen any time soon if he remained in the shadow of his then-teammate, Messi—and in the process solidify himself as the best player in the world, one of the greatest ever. He probably didn’t expect PSG to be so far away from legitimate contention for the Champions League, or that Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo would still look as good as ever as they ventured past 30 years old, treating the limitations of age the same way they have so many other perceived barriers. Unless he starts winning the club silverware and individual awards and worldwide reverence he’s after soon, Neymar’s future is going to start looking more like something to dread than something to anticipate. Advertisement This is why the World Cup means so much. If Neymar wins it, the joy he’ll feel could only be matched by the relief that comes with it. Winning the World Cup as the best player on the team would itself be an accomplishment worthy of legendary status, and would be the kind of feat everyone dreamed Neymar could pull off back when he burst on the scene as a youngster with a sky-high ceiling. Suddenly, the pressure to win the Champions League again wouldn’t be as intense, the Ballon d’Or would probably be his to lose, the argument about whether he made a mistake by joining PSG wouldn’t hold as much weight, and he would have a resumé worthy of putting himself in the conversation for the best player in the world. The Next Big Thing will have finally become The Big Thing. Lose the World Cup, though, and all the questions about Neymar’s past decisions and future prospects will only intensify. There is so much at stake in Neymar’s World Cup, for himself and for the game as a whole. (For example: do you think it’s more or less likely that Neymar would try to force himself out of PSG in favor of a move to Real Madrid, as has been rumored for months now, if Neymar won the World Cup this summer?) Thankfully, Neymar is more than up for the challenge. Nobody in soccer can match what Neymar does on the pitch—the way he completely dominates the attacking side of the game—other than Messi himself.<doc-sep>BRAZIL'S starting line-up to face Switzerland has been reportedly leaked by a friend of Gabriel Jesus' despite the manager's best efforts to combat spies. Boss Tite told journalists they had just 15 minutes to watch their training session before being told to leave. 4 Brazil are set to start with Neymar, Coutinho, Willian and Jesus Credit: AFP or licensors But friends and family of the players were allowed to stay. And the decision has appeared to have backfired after a friend of the Manchester City ace posted a video of the training session on Instagram. The footage shows a training drill between Neymar, Jesus, Willian, Coutinho, Paulinho and Marcelo. It was swiftly deleted but the damage had already been done. 4 Gabriel Jesus' mate revealed their tactics with an Instagram post 4 Brazil head to the tournament as favourites to lift the trophy Credit: Getty Images - Getty It is set to be the same starting XI that started in the 3-0 victory over Austria and the clearest indication that Tite believes he has found his best side. It means Brazil will start with Alisson, Danilo, Thiago Silva, Miranda, Marcelo, Casemiro, Paulinho, Coutinho, Willian, Neymar and Jesus when they take on the Swiss on June 17. The manager was so concerned that teams would find out his tactics that three men were tasked with waiting on the roof of the building near the training ground to look out for drones. 4 Manager Tite pulled out all the stops to combat spies Credit: Getty Images - Getty most read in football CRYING BRU Fernandes breaks down in tears as Scholes slams Utd stars who 'accept losing' Revealed FLOP GEA De Gea let in 38th CONSECUTIVE penalty before missing own spot-kick in shootout Live Blog MAN UTD 1 (10) VILLARREAL 1 (11) Penalties heartbreak for United as De Gea misses in epic Exclusive THREE-PEAT De Bruyne has been nursing THREE injuries in build-up to Champions League final MAN UTD VERDICT Solskjaer blew chance to end trophy drought & it won't get easier than this Live Blog FOOTBALL NEWS LIVE Zidane QUITS Real Madrid, Antonio Conte leaves Inter Milan JEEPERS KEEPERS Agony for Man Utd as De Gea misses after epic shootout goes down to GOALIES Man UTD RATINGS Cavani shines on big stage but Rashford and Fernandes go missing in final ZINE ENOUGH Zidane 'quits Real Madrid with immediate effect' after troubled Bernabeu season Pictured THE PINK PUNDIT Jamie Carragher forced to wear a PINK WIG on air after losing Man Utd bet Neymar is the golden boy of Brazil - Is he going to lift the World Cup in 2018? With their binoculars and radio communicator, CBF reports that the Fifa offers every side a team with the sole purpose of taking down the drones. To do this they use equipment that blocks the frequency of the drone. Brazil head into the tournament as favourites and take on Costa Rica and Serbia after the Swiss. If they finish top of their group as expected, they will face the second place team out of Germany, Mexico, Sweden or South Korea in the last 16.<doc-sep>
This article is part of the Guardian’s 2018 World Cup Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 32 countries who have qualified for Russia. theguardian.com is running previews from two countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 14 June. In Brazil’s most recent friendlies, Tite struggled to find players who could infiltrate five-man defensive lines of the kind used by Antonio Conte at Chelsea. Two were required in particular: a midfielder able to work close to the penalty area and a No 9 with physical presence. As nobody was found, the coach has selected Shakhtar Donetsk’s Taison in his 23 – but the winger seems somewhat redundant, as he is similar to three other players in the squad. It means Philippe Coutinho – who is used to weaving inside from one of the flanks – could be pushed into a role conducting the midfield from a central position and serving the players who come running and dribbling in from both sides. There are a swarm of attacking options from wide: Neymar, Gabriel Jesus, Willian, Roberto Firmino, Marcelo. This is far from certain though and it is equally possible he will start out on the right. The days before the World Cup will be decisive. The motto “never try in a cup what you have never tested before” has prevailed in a predictable selection – advice Tite has received from former players such as Rivellino, Gerson and Zico. So Brazil arrive at the World Cup placing their bets on speed over the field. Despite their width they have very little inclination to cross the ball: Tite has imposed a very organised method based on playing in triangles, with aggressive full-backs – a Brazilian tradition – always close to the holding midfielders in order to build up moves from the inside. Brazil’s left side poses the biggest threat but is also the most likely area for opponents to breach. Marcelo is prone to leaving space behind him, as he has shown at Real Madrid, but Tite will not restrain the world’s most attacking full-back. That will require plenty of attention from the veteran Miranda, who may be pushed further forward than any centre-back in Brazil’s World Cup history, and the deep midfielder Casemiro. On the right, Dani Alves’s injury is a huge blow for which Manchester City’s Danilo will be hard pressed to compensate. Brazil can threaten elsewhere, though: Miranda, Marquinhos and Paulinho will pose a considerable threat when they win dead balls in attacking positions. Thanks to the influence of Pep Guardiola, Tite has an exquisite piece of tactical variation up his sleeve in the form of his second-choice goalkeeper Ederson. If Brazil face a very aggressive, high-pressing side, Ederson can bypass the press by distributing the ball accurately as soon as he has claimed it. Neymar and Coutinho would then be released like arrows, sprung behind a very advanced defensive line. The final pre-World Cup friendlies, against Croatia and Austria, will show whether Tite is brave enough to go with Ederson in Russia. All things considered, though, Roma’s Alisson is unlikely to see his starting spot threatened. Probable starting XI Brazil probable starting XI Which player is going to surprise everyone at the World Cup 2018? Paulinho. The midfielder faced criticism from fans after a superb start at Barcelona settled down, and there are suggestions that he will be sold during the transfer window. But Tite knows his style very well: they worked together at Corinthians, winning the Fifa World Club Cup final against Chelsea in 2012, and the manager trusts him. This familiarity turns Paulinho into one of Brazil’s most dangerous weapons. Which player is likely to disappoint? Philippe Coutinho. After half a season trying to adapt and prove himself at Barcelona while watching Liverpool play better without him, Coutinho will land in Russia with the responsibility of providing solutions against ultra-defensive opponents. He may be pushed into a more central position, which is not where he performs best. On the bench, Willian and Roberto Firmino are hungry for a spot. What is the realistic aim for Brazil at the World Cup and why? Brazil are going for the title. Few teams are as strong and confident – even though confidence alone is no a guarantee of success, as Brazilians remember from 2006 and 2014. Tite is still looking for the right balance but his defensive record is remarkable: Brazil conceded only 11 times in their 18 qualifiers.