Confederations Cup preview: Brazil – South Africa

With the elimination of Spain at the 2009 Confederations Cup, Brazil are the new favorites to take home the trophy. To do so, Dunga’s men do have to find their way past hosts South Africa in Thursday’s semi final.

The Brazilians struggled in their opening match against Egypt but everything has been smooth sailing since, with 3-0 wins over the United States and Italy. The Seleçao were second-favorite to win this tournament but the gap with Spain steadily decreased as the Confederations Cup advanced.

South Africa deserved their spot in the semi finals but weren’t anywhere near as convincing as Brazil. The hosts first drew with Iraq, beat New Zealand to then lose to Spain. The four points collected in these three games were enough to advance.

Brazil are without Juan for this match and the possible final, as the AS Roma is suffering from a leg injury.

South Africa on the other hand, may have to do without striker Bernard Parker who picked up a minor knee injury in training. His absence would leave a big void up front.

The senior teams of these two nations last met at the Nelson Mandela Challenge in 1996, when Brazil came back from behind to beat South Africa 3-2. At the 2000 Olympics, the South African Under-21 team beat their Brazilian rivals 3-1.

Johannesburg’s Ellis Park Stadium is the venue for this game, which will be led by Swiss referee Massimo Busacca. Kick-off is at 8:30pm local time.