PORTUGAL vs BRAZIL Finally, the Group Of Death lives up to its title. Every World Cup seems to bring together a group like this, where a few, if not all of the teams, have a realistic shot at winning the Cup. This time around, two powerhouses in the world square off against each other in a Group G matchup between Brazil and Portugal on June 25th. This could be a very tough game for World Cup betting . Who do you pick? The mighty Brazilians bring a load of talent and winning history to this World Cup. Being the only country to ever win the Copa five times, they will field a team that will include two previous FIFA World Player Of The Year winners in Kaka and Ronaldinho These talented and proven midfielders, who play for top clubs Real Madrid and AC Milan, respectively, will be joined in the attack by winger Robinho (club: Manchester City), and striker Luis Fabiano (Sevilla). The defense will be anchored by veteran Lucio (Inter Milan), who will be playing in his third World Cup for his country, with a medal for winning it back in 2002. To say Brazil is the favorite to win the entire tournament would be quite an understatement, but don’t tell the Portuguese that. The style of play that brings to mind the phrase “Joga Bonito” is a free-flowing, multi-passing, ball-skilled type of attacking. The Brazilians have mastered it over the years, and not many can duplicate it. Oh wait, the Portuguese can. And they have a FIFA World Player Of The Year winner on their team by the name of Cristiano Ronaldo. He plays at the same club with Kaka, and emulates the exact same style of play that most Brazilians are gifted with. Teaming with Ronaldo on the attack will be Simao (club: Atletico Madrid) and Nani (Manchester United), two supertalented ball control freaks who can make blazing quick runs down the wings. The midfield is held by Deco (Chelsea), a veteran World Cup player for Portugal who has been playing against top talent in the world for over a decade-and-a-half. His experience goes along with another veteran of the defense, Ricardo Carvalho, who plays alongside Deco at Chelsea. The most watched game of the opening-round group stage will definitely be this dream match-up between these two talent-laden countries. But despite Portugal’s lack of experience in the World Cup over the decades (a third place finish in 1966 is the best they’ve done), their ability to qualify for the previous three Cups this past decade have shown that they are ready to compete against the most talented country to ever play the beautiful game. The headlines that certain players get off of the pitch (Cristiano, Ronaldinho, Kaka) only adds to the global intrigue that will fuel many other countries to watch this game as if it was their own team playing. That cannot be said for many other teams across the world. Ultimately, when these two teams battle on the pitch, the determining factor could come down to
who needs the game more to advance. With their match-up being held as the last game in group play, points could be at a premium to see if one of these two countries has to go home. But who am I kidding‌. Brazil will win this game no matter what the stakes are. Their ability to outplay anyone at any time makes them the clear favorite to win by at least two, or more, goals. It all depends on how much of a show they want to put on. For this game, you can bet they will pull out all the tricks to show the world their true dominance. Head over to www.sportsbook.com and place your World Cup bets now.