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What to watch for today
Brazil v. Costa Rica | Group E
When Coutinho scored that beauty against Switzerland, you thought Brazil were going to roll, didn’t you? Instead, they managed only a point from the match and now face another squad that isn’t shy about dismissing aesthetics in favor of defensive solidity. After losing 1-0 to Serbia however, Costa Rica need to get a result out of this game if they hope to match their 2014 World Cup run to the quarterfinals. Neymar is fit to play for this crucial match, after an injury in training earlier this week.
Nigeria v. Iceland | Group D
When asked about his expectations for Friday’s match against Nigeria, Iceland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson’s answer was direct: “We expect to win.” Should they win, Nigeria would be eliminated, while Iceland would be in strong position to make it to the knockout rounds ahead of Argentina. Nigeria never really found any sharpness in attack in their 2-0 loss to Croatia, and must look to pull Iceland’s defenders out of position in a way that Argentina could not. With survival on the line, Nigeria look set to shuffle their lineup, with Jon Obi Mikel perhaps being moved further back in midfield to introduce more creativity up top.
Serbia v. Switzerland | Group E
Serbia sit atop Group E after an Aleksandar Kolarov free kick gave them a 1-0 victory over Costa Rica. Much-hyped midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic showed bursts of creativity and cleverness that will come in handy against a Swiss side that held Brazil to a 1-1 draw. A point against Brazil was likely all that Switzerland hoped for coming into the tournament, with wins against Serbia and Costa Rica in their plans for reaching the knockout rounds. After managing just a pair of shots on goal in their first match, they’ll need to be a bit more aggressive to ensure their plan comes to fruition.