FIFA World Cup Preview - Group E - Serbia vs Brazil

The Round of 16 picture continues to get even clearer, with Argentina and Denmark adding their names to the ever growing list of participants.

Wednesday perennial World Cup favorites Brazil and Germany take to the pitch looking to solidify their spots in the knock-out round, with so much at stake for each nation their will be incredible pressure to see out a positive result. 

Serbia, Sweden and Switzerland will all certainly have something to say about the final seeding's in Groups E and F, with these European nations still having it all too play for, they will look to keep their World Cup experiences alive. 

62109 Serbia vs 62110 Brazil

Otkritie Arena, Moscow, Russia 

6-27-2018 - 2:00 pm ET 

The Russian capital will play host to the premier Group E match-up on Wednesday, with Brazil coming to town with intentions of progressing to the knock-out phase for a 13th straight time in their illustrious history. The Serbians start the match-day looking to play spoiler, as they would love to end the Brazilians unbelievable run of success during World Cup play, but they certainly understand they will have their hands full with these powerful CONMEBOL champions. 

Serbia enter this group stage fixture having dropped three points in the 90th minute their last match out, after the "Alpine Messi" struck on a wicked through ball, the Eagles were left helpless as the Swiss surpassed them in the Group E table.

Mladen Krstajić seemingly had his side in the drivers seat to a spot in the  Round of 16, after Aleksandar Mitrovic knocked in a laser header within the first four minutes of Friday's fixture, the Serbians were then unable to hold off a determined charge from Switzerland who scored two goals in the second half, making life that much more difficult for the Europeans chances of advancement.

The Eagles manager is still undeterred and set to field his most potent starting eleven, even though six of his players will participate on yellow cards, Krstajić has no choice but to send out those specific members of his squad, and worry about the next match if they are in fact to get booked moving forward. 

The Serb's rely heavily on the play of their seasoned midfielders, with Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Adem Ljajic and Dusan Tadic providing the spark on the offensive side of the ball, as each skilled play-maker are fully capable of dribbling, passing and finishing at the highest of levels, while they pass on the defensive and link up responsibilities to Nemanja Matic  and Luka Milivojevic, who handle the dirty work and allow their fellow front-line partners to flourish in the Serbian plan of attack.

The before mentioned Aleksandar Mitrovic is the recognized number nine in Serbia's 4-2-3-1 formation, the Fulham striker is a very streaky individual who relies heavily on service into the box, he has already shown to be a bull in the air, and a physical nightmare for opposing defenders in front of goal. 

Serbian full-back Aleksandar Kolarov could be instrumental to the Eagles overall success, the cagey veteran can still be a menace down the wings, as he looks to use his in-game wisdom too maneuver for space, and place pin-point crosses on target to pick apart unsuspecting defenses. The Roma defender is also a weapon in Set Piece and Free Kick situations, where his clinical left foot can be a deadly weapon.

Brazil left it late their last time out as well, although they were on the winning side of the spectrum, the Brazilians needed extra time to sneak two goals in, and capture a victory in the dying moments of their match with Costa Rica.

Tite was especially relieved to get the positive result, after failing to grab all three points against Switzerland, the Seleção looked vulnerable after their match-day one result.

Neymar has grabbed all the headlines leading up too, and during the Canarinho's time in Russia. After going down early in the year with a foot injury, the brash super-star has returned to action with a clear focus on avenging the 2014 World Cup experience, after a emotional break-down after his match with the Ticos, the talented Brazilian showed the burden he carries to lift his nation too their 6th World Cup title in the Countries history. 

The Brazilians may be led by the influences of Neymar, but Philippe Coutinho is proving to be their most important player on the pitch to date, the Barcelona attacking midfielder is single handedly turning Russia into his own personal playground, after scoring the opening goal in both matches he has been involved in, Coutinho is also making defenders look help-less as he glides by them in a effort-less looking manner, using his vision and accuracy to create a absolute mismatch when moving forward in the "Squad's" flamboyant attack.

The South Americans are also looking for Gabriel Jesus and Willian to make their presences known in Brazil's 4-3-3 formation, the Premier League danger men have failed to truly make their mark on this Summer's event, but Tite is confident his talented front-line players are due for a sensational performance, with so much attention being paid too their fellow forward Neymar, the opportunities to succeed are plentiful. 

Marcelo is the Brazilians own secret weapon, often criticized for his less than spectacular defensive approach, the Real Madrid full-back still provides his Country with another attacking option down the flanks. The Brazilian defender brings a wealth of experience in crucial moments of the match, his overall worth cannot be overlooked in a fixture such as this.

Brazil have been a force during International play, entering their final group stage match having failed to lose in 19 straight matches, giving them the ultimate confidence they can grab the result needed, to advance to yet another Round of 16 appearance.

The Seleção will enter Wednesday's fixture at less than full strength, after both Douglas Costa and Danilo have been listed as doubtful, the remaining squad members will get the opportunity too fill their important roles.

Serbia vs Brazil - Prediction

Serbia should be a worthy opponent for this multi-talented Brazilian side, full of players who perfect their crafts in Europe's top leagues, their will be no shortage of confidence when these two sides meet in Moscow.

The Europeans will certainly want to push the pace and try to place as many balls in the back of the net as possible, knowing  they need all three points to truly be safe to the next round, they must be careful and not get caught being over aggressive with this dynamic Brazilian team. 

Brazil understand that a Draw would serve them well, but the Seleção are not the type of team who will just sit back and rest on their laurels, topping the group should still be a priority for this incredibly successful nation. 

Expect a delightful 90 minute match when these two countries meet in the Capital city, as we have seen when night-fall hits the pitch, the levels of play tend to rise. 

Serbia vs Brazil - Premium Match Tips

*World Cup Premium Tips  9-1-2