Brazil vs Mexico
Venue: Samara Arena
Kick off: 3pm
Filipe Luis will start for Brazil after left-back Marcelo suffered a back spasm in the win over Serbia this afternoon.
After finishing top of Group E following a slow start, five-time winners Brazil are now looking to reach the last eight for the seventh straight World Cup.
Neymar has scored just once in the opening three games, but Brazil coach Tite is delighted with the Paris Saint-Germain forward’s influence having fought back from a lengthy foot injury in the spring.
Tite said: “He played very, very well against Serbia. I told him that: ‘We know the price you have paid to climb back to this level’. He did everything we asked tactically, defending the full-back, and looked for goal, to dribble, and run with the ball.”
Mexico, who will co-host the tournament with USA and Canada in 2026, are looking to reach the last eight for the first time since hosting in 1986, and impressed in the group stage with a famous victory over Germany.
In his pre-match press conference, coach Juan Carlos Osorio stated that his team will attack Brazil. “We won’t sit back and wait, Brazil’s attackers are too good for that to be the right plan. We will stick to our idea of having at least four or five attacking players.”
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