As the World Cup approaches, it is clear that some teams stand a realistic chance of lifting the trophy, and one among them is eternal favourites Brazil. If there was a side out of the final pot that all the other 31 teams wanted to avoid, it was certainly the Canarinha.
Drawn together with Brazil in Group E are Serbia, Costa Rica and Switzerland. As the five-time World Champions are hot favourites to top the group, a keen battle is expected for the second place.
Brazil
FIFA ranking: 2
Head coach: Tite
Brazil are like a studious student waiting impatiently for the examination to start! They have successfully rebuilt from the disastrous 2014 World Cup where they suffered a 1-7 drubbing at the hands of Germany in the semifinal. Brazil fully recovered and wiped the bitter memories of that embarrassment and became the first team to clinch qualification for Russia. Now, their fans from across the world would be hoping that they would be the last team to return from Russia with the coveted trophy.
The 57-year-old Tite is the architect of the current Brazilian side which had fallen out of the top five ranking into sixth when he took over.
Strengths: Neymar is vital cog in Brazil’s engine, however, they have plenty of other talented players like Philippe Coutinho, Gabriel Jesus, Firmino and Willian to take them forward.
Weaknesses: Brazil suffered a heavy blow when their right back Dani Alves was ruled out of the World Cup with a knee injury. The space behind attacking full-backs will also be a huge concern for the Selecao.
Number to remember
Brazil dominated the CONMEBOL qualification group finishing on top with 41 points from 18 games – ten points more than second-placed Uruguay. They scored as many as 41 goals and conceded only 11.
Switzerland
FIFA ranking: 6
Head coach: Vladimir Petkovic
Switzerland might be one of the dark horses in Russia. Most of the members of the current squad were part of the side which won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2009.
The tiny nation’s qualification for the finals was marred by controversies after they beat Northern Ireland on a contentious penalty in the European play-off.
Bosnian Petkovic took over the reins in 2015. Their star man is Stoke City winger Xherdan Shaqiri who can decide games on his own.
Strengths: Switzerland possess three of the best full-backs in world football in their captain Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus) and Ricardo Rodriguez (AC Milan). FC Basel’s Michael Lang, who will come in as substitute, is also a proven performer.
Weaknesses: They might manage to progress from this trick group, but Switzerland have always found it difficult to grind out results in the knockout stage of major championships. The last time they won a knockout match was way back in the 1954 World Cup.
Number to remember
Of the 23 members of the Switzerland squad that took part in the 2016 Euro championship, only nine were of Swiss origin while 14 players were with a migration background.
Costa Rica
FIFA ranking: 25
Head coach: Oscar Ramirez
It is the fifth World Cup appearance for Cost Rica, which has an estimated population of 4.95 million. Their best performance came in Brazil four years back where they managed to reach the quarterfinals before going down to Holland in shootout.
Deportivo La Coruna’s Celso Borges and Sporting Lisbon’s Bryan Ruiz are their key men, however, the most popular Costa Rican player in global soccer circles is Real Madrid custodian Keylor Navas.
Ramirez took over after Paulo Wanchope, who guided the team in 2014 edition, quit his position after getting into a touchline brawl in 2015.
Strengths: Solid defence. They conceded only eight goals in the entire qualification campaign. Forwards will find it difficult to get past the backline marshalled by the trio of Giancarlo Gonzalez, Kendall Waston, and Johnny Acosta. Even if they succeed to quell that challenge, they will face a solid wall in front of the goal in the form of Keylor Navas.
Weaknesses: Costa Rica lack a genuine centre forward in their line-up. Since both Joel Campbell are Marco Urena are just back from a long injury layoff, they will have to rely heavily on Bryan Ruiz to lead their attack through the wing.
Number to remember
In 2014, Costa Rica stunned the football world by topping a group ahead of former champions Italy, Uruguay and England. They beat Italy and Uruguay and drew with England.
Serbia
FIFA ranking: 35
Head coach: Mladen Krstajic
Serbia inherited Yugoslavia's spot within the FIFA and the UEFA and are considered by both organisations as the only successor of the latter. Yugoslavia had finished fourth twice in world cups, in 1930 and 1962. The national team of Serbia and Montenegro continued under the name Yugoslavia until 2003. In the 2006 World Cup, they were thrashed by Argentina 6-0. Since October 2007, the name of the country became simply known as Serbia.
Former Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic and Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic are the key men in the current squad. In Russia, Serbia will be led by AS Roma defender Aleksandar Kolarov.
Strengths: Serbia boast a world-class midfield. Matic will team up with Crystal Palace’s Luka Milivojevic and Lazio’s Milinkovic-Savic to form one of the potent midfield combinations in the competition.
Weaknesses: Ageing defence and off-form players are a worry for Serbia. The 34-year-old Ivanovic is well past his prime. Kolarov, who currently plays for Zenit St. Petersburg and Villarreal’s Antonio Rukavina are also slow movers. They also seemed to wilt under the pressure while playing against stronger sides.
Number to remember
Serbia will be the 'tallest' team in the fray as they will be fielding players with an average height of 185.6 cm.