Brazil vs. Switzerland Prediction
Brazil is one of the favorite in this year’s World Cup and boast one of soccer’s best players in Neymar. Is Brazil going to win handily today when it opens its quest for the tournament title against Switzerland?
Game Snapshot
97827 Switzerland vs. 97828 Brazil
Sunday, June 17, 2018
Rostov Arena at 2PM ET
TV: FS1
Public Betting Information
According to oddsmakers, Brazil is a -227 favorite to win on the moneyline. Switzerland is a +700 underdog, while the total is set at 2.5 goals. A draw can be bet at +350.
Neymar playing at elite level
The World Cup for Brazil’s Neymar in 2014 ended in scary and disappointing fashion as in a quarterfinal match against Columbia, he landed on his head and was stretchered off with a small fracture of a vertebrae. He missed the rest of the World Cup, Without Neymar, Brazil was shredded by a count of 7-1 as the host country in the semifinals by eventual champion Germany. Neymar recovered to fuill health quickly and in the 2017-18 season, he is playing some of his best-ever soccer. In 34 club starts for PSG this year, he recorded 31 goals and his knack for finding the back of the net will be a main reaason why Brazil is capable of beating anyone in this year’s World Cup as it looks for redemption for how 2014 ended.
Switzerland not to be overlooked
The Swiss have a decent shot to advance out of Group E even with a loss to Brazil as it is more than capable of beating Costa Rica and Serbia on the other side of the group. The top player on the Switzerland roster is Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka, while fellow midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri will play a big role in getting the offense rolling although if the Swiss are at their best the ball will be on Xhaka’s foot much more.
Prediction:
Brazil will almost certainly be too much for the Swiss to handle, but this could be a much more competitive game than people realize. While the Brazilians have an elite offense, I think it might get bottled up pretty good and it is held to a goal or two by a talented Switzerland back end that blends youth and experience. Conversely, the Brazil defense is going to want a fantastic performance on the big stage after how things ended four years ago. A clean sheat would give Brazil a lot of confidence it can stop opponents going forward.
WORLD CUP DAILY PREDICTION: BRAZIL/SWITZERLAND UNDER 2.5