Brazil – England 02.06.2013

This match marks the official reopening of the Estadio Jornalista Mario Filho, known as Maracana, after the modernization before the 2014 World Cup. Interesting, exactly these two teams met to mark England first match at new Wembley, on 01.06.2007. That match finished with 1:1 draw, but I expect Brazil to win here. The main reason for my pick is the tradition. Brazil have four wins and two draws on the previous seven matches, meaning they lost only once.

It is clear that Brazil style of playing, with lot of imagination and individual solutions, makes problem to England players. Now Brazil have the home advantage and it is very important, even this is only a friendly game.

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The defense is usually the biggest problem for Brazil. But the Selecao have very experienced defenders at the moment – Diego Alves from Barcelona on the right side, Marcelo from Real Madrid on the left side, while two central defenders are Thiago Silva from PSG and David Luiz from Chelsea. I am sure they can handle with England strikers. To be even worse for the Three Lions, two strikers are struggling with injuries. Daniel Sturridge is waiting on scan results after got an ankle injury during Wednesday game with Republic of Ireland, while Jermain Defoe is struggling with an Achilles problem. In addition, the captain Steven Gerrard is not with the national team. I think the manager Roy Hodgson has no adequate replacement for Liverpool captain. The last match with Republic of Ireland clearly showed lack of creativity in England squad.

As conclusion, I think Brazil is closer to the victory. They have the home advantage, historically they are more successful, and England have some personal problems. Expect Brazil to win here.