As some of you may have noticed, there’s a tournament taking place in Brazil next month. The 2014 World Cup kicks off on Thursday June 12 – just six days before the new Premier League fixture list is announced – and lasts all the way until Sunday July 13, filling the time perfectly until Fantasy managers can begin to plan for the new domestic campaign:
We’ll be covering a handful of Fantasy games for the upcoming tournament (more on that later in the week) and as the days begin to tick down, we kick off our coverage with Group A and run the rule over host nation, Brazil.
Phil Scolari’s side get the tournament underway on Thursday June 12 at 9pm against Croatia, then square up to Mexico five days later at 8pm before entertaining Cameroon in their final Group A match on June 23 at 9pm:
The tournament favourites, they captured last year’s Confederations Cup in convincing style, winning all six games including triumphs over the likes of France, Italy, Uruguay and Spain. Such rampant form means that Fantasy managers will be desperate to load up on the South Americans and their chances of delivering us early points are boosted by a scheduling quirk which means that both Brazil and Mexico both play twice in the first round of fixtures. Their June 17 showdown, which takes place at 8pm, kicks off before Russia face South Korea in the second match of Group H at 11pm the same evening – the downside is that Brazil and Mexico are without a match in Matchday 2.
Recent Friendlies
Since Scolari returned to the helm, Brazil have played a total of 20 times. Starting off with a Wembley defeat to England, the South Americans won one and drew four of Big Phil’s first six matches but have since found their form and, having adjusted to a change in style, have triumphed in 13 of the last 14, with a defeat in Switzerland last year the only blip on an otherwise perfect record.
Having analysed the teamsheets, we list the main performers for Scolari’s side from the start of last June’s Confederations Cup onwards, in a run that has seen them score 42 times and concede just six, with nine clean sheets accrued in that 14-match streak.
Most Starts Neymar (14), Paulinho, David Luiz (13), Thiago Silva, Oscar, Luiz Gustavo (11), Julio Cesar, Marcelo, Hulk (10)
Top Scorers Neymar (11), Fred, Jo (5), Oscar (4)
Most Assists Neymar (7), Paulinho (4), Oscar, Fred (3)
The Key Targets
As the above stats show, Neymar is the standout option by some distance. The only player to start every one of the previous 14 fixtures, he fired a hat-trick in Brazil’s final friendly against South African – handed a role on the left of a 4-2-3-1 formation, the Barcelona man has scored or assisted in 12 of those matches; a clear indication of his excellent consistency.
Chelsea’s Oscar looks vital to Scolari’s side – providing he has fully recovered from the thigh strain that curtailed his domestic game time at the end of the season. Having cemented the role as most advanced central midfielder for the hosts, Oscar has produced three goals and an assist in his last five appearances for his country. Up front, Fred is Scolari’s number one when fully fit. He’s featured in only one of the last seven matches due to a long-term thigh problem, though, but still managed to produce five goals and three assists in eight starts.
At the back, investment amongst Scolari’s regulars may well come down to both player price and scoring system across the Fantasy games. Given their recent resilience, many will be eyeing up the likes of attacking full-backs Dani Alves or Marcelo, though it worth noting that both have managed just an assist apiece over those 14 matches. David Luiz and Thiago Silva are nailed-on at the heart of the back-four and the Chelsea man’s penchant for a long shot may persuade some to snap him up if he’s cheaper than the Brazilian skipper.
The Long Shots
An inconsistent figure in the Premier League last term, Tottenham’s Paulinho has played all but one of the previous 14 and is a key figure in the centre of the park – he’s chipped in with an assist in four of the last five games for his country. He looks assured of his start in central midfield and will be given the freedom to bomb forward with the security of Luiz Gustavo anchoring in the middle of the park.
Whilst it’s difficult to see anyone eclipsing Neymar amongst Scolari’s main men in attack, Hulk could be worth a flutter. Having started 10 of the last 14 on the opposite flank and emerged from the bench on a couple of occasions, he seems to have found his form in recent matches, grabbing two goals and a trio of assists in the last three friendlies.
Finally, if Fred struggles for full fitness, back-up option Jo may come into contention – he has scored five times from 12 appearances, with seven of those coming courtesy of the bench.
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