Two nations chasing World Cup glory will do battle today in a match between Brazil and Croatia. The 2014 World Cup group-stage match scheduled for 4 p.m. ET will be held at the Arena Corinthians in Sao Paolo and can be live streamed here free. Additional TV coverage can be found on ESPN and ESPN Deportes.
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No pressure, Brazil, but everyone is expecting you to lift your sixth World Cup title on home soil, including your head coach.
"This is our World Cup. To all Brazilians I want to tell you the time has arrived. This is our World Cup," said Luiz Felipe Scolari, who was at the helm the last time the five-time champions won the tournament in 2002 (via FIFA).
"There are seven steps," he added. "We have to go up those seven steps, but to start, we have to think of the first step. We can't jump the seven steps. The first step is against Croatia. After that, we have six steps that we want to go up if we want to win the World Cup."
Will Brazil take a proper first step with a victory over Croatia in the World Cup opener? Tell us @SportsWN
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: All eyes are centered on Brazil, but Croatia has technically gifted players of its own worthy of mention. Ivan Rakitic, who has been rumored with a move to Barcelona (via Marca), is chief among them. The 26-year-old made 34 league appearances for Sevilla last season, serving as the club's attacking threat in the midfield. In a 10-assist season, Rakitic averaged 2.3 key passes per match (via WhoScored).
Brazil's Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Cesar; Marcelo, Silva, Luiz, Alves; Paulinho, Gustavo; Neymar, Oscar, Hulk; Fred
Croatia's Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Pletikosa; Vrsaljko, Lovren, Corluka, Srna; Modric, Vukojevic; Kovacic, Rakitic, Perisic; Olic
Prediction: Brazil 2 - 1 Croatia
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