Brazil vs. Serbia 2022 FIFA World Cup Preview

Brazil collides with Serbia in 2022 FIFA World Cup Group G action on Thursday.

Brazil has one of the most well-rounded teams in Qatar and they’ve lost just one game since 2019. Tite has an absurd number of strikers at his disposal, with Neymar, Richarlison, Raphinha, Gabriel Jesus, Antony, Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo all supposed to get playing time.

Brazil is more than their strikers, they have excellent players all over the field. Marquinhos, Danilo and Eder Militao are all highly dependable defenders and the midfield features Casemiro, Fred, Lucas Paqueta, Fabinho and Bruno Guimaraes, a key cog for Newcastle United.

Serbia has two formidable strikers, Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrović and Juventus’s Dusan Vlahovic. Both plauers are nightmares for opposing defenses but they’re questionable for this game. If healthy, Mitrović and Vlahovic form one of the best striking duos in the tournament and Serbia’s midfield is also solid.

The player to watch in this game is Neymar, who has 11 goals and nine assists in 14 Ligue 1 games with Paris Saint-Germain this season. AccuScore gives Neymar a 55.4 percent chance to score against Serbia. He has 83 SCA and 14 GCA in 15 Ligue 1 games with Paris Saint-Germain this season.

FBRef defines SCA as “the two offensive actions leading directly to a shot, such as passes, dribbles and drawing fouls.” GCA is “the two offensive actions leading directly to a goal, such as passes, dribbles and drawing fouls.” Let’s take a closer look at where the value is at in this matchup.

DafaNews Picks

Team to Win (Regular Time)
• Brazil 1.48
• Serbia 7.20
• Draw 4.60

Spread
• Brazil -1, -1.5 (2.08)
• Serbia +1, +1.5 (1.85)

Total
• Over 2.5, 3 (2.04)
• Under 2.5, 3 (1.86)

Key Points to Consider

Head-to-Head: These two sides last matched up in World Cup action on June 27, 2018 and Brazil won 2-0.

Projected Leaders

For Brazil, Neymar has a 55.4 percent chance to score. He averages 1.74 shots overall per sim, 1.12 shots on goal per and 0.8 goals per sim.

For Serbia, Dusan Vlahovic has a 27.3 percent chance to net the ball. He averages 1.71 shots overall per sim, 0.64 shots on goal per and 0.31 goals per sim.

Analyst’s Pick

Brazil has the talent to win all three group stage games with no issues. They’ve reached at least the quarterfinals in their last four World Cup appearances and this year they have one of their strongest teams.

Look for Neymar and Vinicius Jr. to cause problems Serbia. It’s hard to see their fullbacks prepared for Brazil’s bombardment. Defensively, Brazil deserves praise, they don’t give up goals easily.

Brazil haven’t conceded more than one goal in a game for over two years. This year, Brazil have five shutouts in eight international games.

Brazil 1.48

Two-star (out of four) AccuScore hot trend pick on Brazil in this one. Average score in simulations is Brazil 2.22 to Serbia 0.7.