World Cup 2010 Brazil Draw Analysis: Selecao Sweating After Difficult Draw

Goal.com’s Tim Sturtridge plots a possible route to the World Cup final for the boys from Brazil...

Brazil have enjoyed some extremely straightforward World Cup groups in past but they face a stern early test when they turn up in South Africa next year.

Dunga’s side will kick off their 2010 World Cup campaign on June 15 against North Korea in Johannesburg and anything less than a win in this game will have Brazil sweating going into their final two Group G matches.

Five days after the game with North Korea, the Selecao will be back in Johannesburg to play the Ivory Coast. The African outfit will be no pushovers and some pundits believe the Elephants can make a deep run in the tournament. The Brazilian squad will be well aware of the talents of Didier Drogba, the Toure brothers and other Ivorians who frequent the Champions League.

It will be imperative for Brazil that they have their passage to the knockout rounds secured after their two games in Johannesburg because they face their old enemy Portugal in Durban in their last Group G match.



All of the seeded teams were looking to avoid France and Portugal but as the draw wore on Dunga’s luck ran out and the Portuguese popped up to complete the line-up in Group G.

Dunga already knows a fair bit about his counterparts from across the Atlantic as he has taken them on twice in friendlies during his time as manager of Brazil. Back in February 2007 in London, it was Portugal who inflicted the first defeat of Dunga’s time in charge of Brazil. Revenge was taken for this loss late last year when Brazil battered Portugal in Brasilia. A Luis Fabiano hat-trick as well as a goal apiece from Maicon, Elano and Adriano helped the hosts to a convincing 6-2 win.

It is difficult to see a repeat of that scoreline in Durban on June 25 but whatever happens it is bound to be a fascinating game when Brazil and Portugal meet in the 2010 World Cup.

If Brazil do get out of Group G there will be little respite for the team as they look likely to face Chile, Honduras or even Spain in the first knockout round. Back-to-back games against Portugal and Spain would certainly reveal exactly what Brazil is all about.

The most likely quarter-final opponents for the Selecao should they reach that point is the Dutch. A game against Holland would surely seem like a walk in the park for Dunga’s squad after overcoming the might of Spain.

The other major World Cup contender on Brazil’s side of the draw is England who could meet Dunga's men in the semi-finals of the World Cup. One would hope that if the two teams were to meet in a the semi-final then they would serve up a better game then their encounter in Doha earlier in the month.

In this version of events, Brazil have topped Group G and Spain have somehow failed to win Group H and have subsequently been knocked out by the Selecao in the second round. With Spain out of the way Brazil’s opponent in the 2010 World Cup final would mostly likely be Argentina, Germany or Italy.

In trying to predict Brazil’s opponents in the final of the World Cup the heart says Argentina but the head says Germany.