Brazil will be looking to bounce back and return to winning way when they take on Korea Republic in their World Cup last 16 clash at Stadium 974 in Doha on Monday evening.
Seleção come into this match after they finished top of Group G despite a 1-0 loss to Cameroon in their final game.
Korea, meanwhile, advanced to this stage of the tournament after finishing second in Group H with four points after claiming one win, one draw and conceding one defeat.
Brazil coach Tite: “The physical demand is ever increasing, the time is short, it’s a cumulative effect of games and sometimes you don’t have the ideal recovery time on your hands.
“I don’t really know what to say other than that, mentally, the Cup is very demanding. It drains you. The intensity of the matches, the preparation – they are components of analysis that we have to delve into deeper, but they are all considerable.”
In the last three meetings between the two teams, Brazil have been the dominant team after securing three straight wins against Korea, with a 2-0 win in 2013 followed by a comfortable 3-0 win in 2019 before a 5-1 hammering in 2022
Tite will continue to be without the services of Neymar and Danilo due to injury, while Paulo Bento has no injury concerns or suspensions to report.
Vinícius Júnior will be relishing the chance to open his account at the World Cup, having failed to find the back of the net so far, chipping in with an assist in three matches.
Cho Gue-sung has been Korea’s best player at the tournament and is currently their top goal scorer, with two goals in three matches.
Brazil’s World Cup Form:
WWL
Korea Republic’s World Cup Form:
DLW