Brazil turns its attention to preparing against Croatia

With its players in form and rested, Brazil is thinking exclusively about its debut against Croatia in Berlin on Tuesday.

Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira has already lectured his players about the opponents, and the team has been practising with Croatia's style of play in mind.

"He showed us a couple of videos and talked about how they will likely play against us," midfielder Kaka said. "We'll be talking about Croatia a lot until game time on Tuesday."

It will be Brazil's first match in its quest for a record sixth world title. The defending champion will then play Australia on Sunday in Munich and Japan on June 22 in Dortmund.

"We'll see even more things about Croatia," defender Juan said. "It's important to know what we are going to face."

Parreira had a meeting with players Friday night to discuss the opener and showed videos of Croatia's recent matches.

Until now, the team's preparation had been focused mostly on resting its players from the gruelling European season. Only three Brazilian players don't play for European clubs.

Brazil's physical trainer said Brazil is rested and will be in good condition for its debut.

"We made good use of our preparation," Moraci Sant'Anna said. "The team will not be 100 per cent, but it will be enough for a good start."

In the team's last training sessions, Parreira setup Brazil's reserves in a scheme he expects the Croats to use, with several players crowding the midfield to try to contain Brazil's offensive power.

"We are sure they will play defensively against us," Parreira said earlier in the week. "They are not going to come out attacking."


Supporters of Brazil wave their country's flag during the so-called "Fan Party" in front of Berlin's Brandenburger Gate 07 June 2006

Brazil's second-stringers beat the starters 3-0 in the practice Saturday afternoon, with two goals by Juninho and one by Fred, both Lyon players.

Brazil has sent observers to all of Croatia's warm-up matches, including the 2-1 loss to Spain last Wednesday. He warned his team not to read too much into that game, in which Croatia made several substitutions.

Parreira has long announced Brazil's starting lineup, which includes the "magic quartet" with Kaka, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Adriano on attack. The coach said he's focusing on preparing the team mentally, and only fine-tuning the squad.

Parreira has been constantly saying he expects a tough opener against the Croats, which finished third in the 1998 World Cup in France.

"It's crucial we get to a good start," Parreira said. "We need to gain confidence for the rest of the tournament."

The Croats are not too optimistic with their chances.

"We will try to win, but it is no tragedy if we lose against a team everybody is touting as perhaps the best Brazilian team ever," Croatia coach Zlatko Kranjcar told a press conference Saturday.

Brazil and Croatia drew the only two times they played, including 1-1 in a friendly last August.

Brazil has been training in the small town of Koenigstein, outside Frankfurt, where it's based for the group stage.

posted by nscafuro @ 7:46 AM