If there is one nation in the world of football that is said to breathe football, that nation would be Brazil. That statement is priced true by the sheer amount of trophies which they have managed to accumulate since the organization of the games. That analogy though would surely be tested severely in this tournament as things have not gotten off to a good start. The group stages are down to the final. A bad result for a team that is badly in need of it could be all that is needed for that team to be knocked out of the competition.
Brazil
Brazil is weakened. Gone are the days of the illustrious Martha where they had a free ticket to the finals. They have to work really hard for this and this is reflected in the current standing of their group. Brazil gave found themselves in 3rd position in their group with two matches played. They are currently trailing Italy having lost their first game to Australia. Now, they play Italy in what is bound to be a crunch match for them ahead of the next round. If Brazil should lose this game today, heir hopes of qualifying for the next round would be much smaller than they would have liked. This game is important if they want their tournament not to be branded a failure.
Italy
Italy would be somewhat pleased yet cautious of what they have been able to achieve. While they currently top the group heading into the final match, they could very well face a situation where everyone could end on 6 points. This means that they are not yet secured about winning the group. Getting even a draw here would be enough and that is realistic considering the immensely bad form which Brazil has had over the past few weeks. Regardless of the points which they have accumulated, it is a big game for Italy.
Form
Speaking about bad form, Brazil's form has been terrible in recent times, to say the least. With six games played, it is remarkable that Brazil has only managed to win one game during that period of time. The others have been terrible and they have rightly all ended in losses. It is redemption time for Brazil. A win in this game would inevitably make them forget their sorrows in their recent endeavors. However, it is really hard to see this happening with just how good Italy has been in the last few games.
Italy has played really good football as they have gone on a good winning streak. Winning four games in their last six games, they would be cautiously optimistic heading into this game. While Brazil has been in a bad run, they are certainly no pushovers in this game. Playing well is not an option when they meet the former champions of the women of football.
It’s a great tournament so far and this game would just be one match in a list of brilliant matches.
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