The National Stadium in Singapore will on Sunday afternoon play host to two football heavyweights from South America and Africa. It's a match many football fans have been looking forward to despite being a friendly game so to speak. While there may not be trophy or awards to be given after the encounter, Brazil and Nigeria know what football means to both nations, and it will not only be a show of Brain and Brawn, but also a game of Pride and Status. So much hype have been given to this clash of titans on the media and in few hours time, Tite will be battling a young Super Eagles side with so much talents sieved from top clubs in Europe.
After going through betting sites, I realized that Brazil are the undisputed favorites ahead of the promising encounter. The South American champions have witnessed setbacks in their last three games which have made many to doubt their form, they went three straight matches without recording a win, a streak they will be looking forward to ending when they come against the Super Eagles of Nigeria on Sunday(13/10/2019). It's perhaps Brazil's longest wait for victory since 2013, and were also held to a draw by an unfazed Senegalese side on Thursday at same stadium. Despite winning the Copa America, Tite and his boys have endured a rough ride, beating Nigeria in few hours time will be a good morale booster.
Tite's last victory can be traced back to July when they defeated a resilient Peru side 3-1 in the Copa America Final. A rematch between the two finalists at Los Angeles saw Peru beating the South American champions, perhaps to send a message that they are not as invincible as they think. Brazil will later go on to record draws with Columbia and Senegal, a result many sports analysts feel could inspire the Super Eagles to go all out and march blood for blood against the Samba boys. The inability to defeat Senegal should a glimpse that the encounter with Super Eagles is not gonna be a rollercoaster ride, in other words, it's gonna be a rough ride. Tite is coming with his big boys and that's a reflection that Brazil are ready for business and it's more than just a friendly game.
Rohr's Super Eagles are in to prove their mettle and perhaps come out unscathed against Brazil on Sunday. Yeah, they know the odds have branded them as the underdog for this encounter, but this is a Super Eagles squad filled with players who are eager to make themselves proud. Nigeria had finished third in the last concluded AFCOn tournament that took place in Egypt, after they got eliminated by Algeria in the semi finals(thanks to Mahrez's dying minute free kick). The Eagles have failed to win any match after theie AFCON adventure and even fell to a 4-1 defeat recently to Togo in their first leg Nations Cup qualifiers. Winning Brazil on Sunday will be an awesome result and will go a long way to boost their confidence ahead of their second leg encounter with Togo on Thursday.
Brazil possible starting lineup:
Ederson, Neymar, Coutinho, Richarlison, Arthur, Fabinho, Firmino, Alves, Marquinhos, Silva, Sandro.
Nigeria possible starting lineup:
Uzoho, Collins, Aribo, Iwobi, Bonaventure, Osimhen, Chukwueze, Balogun, Ajayi, Troost-Ekong, Esiti.
My Prediction: BRAZIL 2-1 NIGERIA
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