Brazil vs Haiti Match Preview | OneFootball

Brazil drew their opening match at the World Cup for the second time in the space of three tournaments in what was a tricky test against Morocco.

Indeed, Carlo Ancelotti’s men had to fight back after going a goal down in the first half, with Vinícius Jnr leveling the scores before the interval.

Given the performance and the fact that there are two easier matches to come, a point wasn’t a bad outcome.

Now, thoughts turn to the clash against Haiti, who performed admirably against Scotland on matchday one.

If it weren’t for some wayward finishing, only two of their 15 attempts were on target, Haiti might have escaped with their first-ever World Cup point.

The defeat leaves them at the bottom of the table, and unless they can somehow beat the five-time winners of this tournament, Sebastien Migne’s side will be out of the competition.

For Brazil, wins over Haiti and then Scotland could well be enough to see them finish top of Group C, depending on other results going their way.

One thing is for certain, however, the performance must be far better than what was on show in stages against the Atlas Lions.

Brazil were far from convincing against Morocco

Morocco carved out more big chances and registered more shots than Brazil during their opening match last week.

Of course, Haiti won’t pose the same sort of attacking threat as the North Africans, but if Ancelotti’s men get complacent, who knows what could happen.

With Spain drawing against Cape Verde and Qatar snatching a point against the Swiss, the underdogs have shown no fear during the tournament so far.

The weight of expectation on Brazil is momentous, and with each passing bad result or performance, that only grows.

A dominant display against the Caribbean nation might just be the catalyst that the Seleção need to kickstart their hopes of a sixth World Cup.

Haiti lacked a clinical edge against Scotland

Haiti’s first match at the World Cup for 52 years may have ended in defeat to Scotland, but the outcome could have been different had they been more clinical in the final third.

Indeed, the Caribbean nation registered more shots during the game than Scotland (15 vs 9) and won four corners to three for Steve Clarke’s men, indicating that they weren’t overawed by the occasion.

Only two of those 15 shots were on target, however, and that statistic must improve if Haiti want to stand any chance of securing a positive result.

Brazil, of course, will offer a far greater attacking threat than the Scots, but as we have seen across the first matchday of this World Cup, upsets can happen.

Should Sebastien Migne’s side manage to snatch a point, or even three against the Brazilians, it would surely go down as one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history.

Team news

It was confirmed Thursday morning that Neymar will not be fit for this clash after missing the Morocco game through a calf injury. Aside from this, Carlo Ancelotti has plenty of options at his disposal, and there will likely be changes from the opening game.

Igor Thiago was ineffective against the Atlas Lions, suggesting Matheus Cunha could come into the starting XI. Elsewhere, Danilo and Alex Sandro are pushing for starts.

Josue Casimir could well come into the Haiti starting XI for the match, and Migne will continue with Wilson Isidor up front.

Prediction

Despite Brazil struggling during spells against Morocco, Ancelotti’s side should improve against Haiti.

A win here would set them up nicely for the clash against Scotland, and I fully expect the South Americans to seal a fairly routine victory in Philadelphia.