Two nations chasing World Cup glory will do battle today in a match between Brazil and Mexico. The 2014 World Cup group-stage match scheduled for 3 p.m. ET will be held at the Estadio Castelao in Fortaleza and can be live streamed here free. A free Spanish language stream of the match can be found here. Free radio coverage can be found here. Additional TV coverage can be found on ESPN, Univision and ESPN Deportes.
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Mexico has never shied away from an altercation with Brazil. The nine-time Gold Cup winners are yet to beat Brazil in a World Cup, being outscored 11-0 in the process, but the intimidation of generations past dissipated following the 2012 Olympic games. A final for the ages saw El Tri capture gold over the five-time World Cup champions. Today, in Fortaleza, the priority remains duplicating that result.
"After a difficult qualification, this team is clearly looking much better now," Oribe Peralta said (via FIFA). "We have settled into a rhythm. And also, we have a lot of supporters here, following us and believing in us. This drives us on to give even more."
"Thanks to the first win, we are very calm about the Brazil match, about taking another step forwards to achieving our goal. But the Brazil team is tough, very tough," he warned. "We're going to make life difficult for them because this game will be crucial. Still, it's a team that, if we play well, we can beat."
Will Mexico be able to deliver the host nation its first loss of the tournament? Tell us @SportsWN
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: Dani Alves' right side of the formation was consistently targeted by Croatia in Brazil's opening 3-1 victory. Should Mexico decided to deploy the same tactic, it'll be the bombing runs of Miguel Layun that determine its effectiveness. The 25-year-old created two chances in Mexico's 1-0 victory over Cameroon, more than any other player. He'll look to continue that run of form in Fortaleza.
Brazil's Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Cesar; Marcelo, Silva, Luiz, Alves; Paulinho, Gustavo; Neymar, Oscar, Ramires; Fred
Mexico's Projected Lineup (5-3-2): Ochoa; Layun, Moreno, Marquez, Rodriguez, Aguilar; Guardado, Vazquez, Herrera; Dos Santos, Peralta
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored)
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