Round of 16: Brazil vs Chile Preview

The group stage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup was perhaps as surprising as any of the previous editions, with its fair share of upsets, shocking score-lines, hattricks, own goals and what not. Not to mention, this World Cup has seen the highest number of goals in the group stages ever- 134. However, now the stakes are higher and the room for errors is minimal. The knockout rounds are upon us and it is often that these matches filter out the good from the great.
Brazil vs Chile in Belo Horizonte get us underway.
Brazil can take comfort from the clear superiority in their head to head statistics, which read 48 victories in 68 matches, with the Chileans winning only 7 and scoring a meagre 58 goals. Brazil have scored 159. Infact the host nation have not lost to their South American neighbours in over a decade. Indeed, this supremely talented Chilean side will not only have the home fans but also a lot of history against them when they take the field.  But Luis Felipe Scolari and his men should know better than to take Chile lightly. Having comfortably qualified from a group consisting of the previous World Cup finalists, Chile have ticked all the right boxes thus far with their unbreakable team chemistry coming to the fore. Brazil have also had a smooth ride, topping their group without too many hardships. If their 0-0 draw with fellow qualifiers Mexico was an issue, then their 4-1 dismantling of Cameroon was definitely an answer to the critics who jumped into premature conclusions.

HOW THEY QUALIFIED:-
BRAZIL:  Winners of Group A (7 points, ahead of Mexico on goal difference)
CHILE:  Runners Up of Group B (6 points, behind Netherlands on 9 points)

KEY PLAYERS:-
NEYMAR: Having come into his first World Cup with a sensational record of 31 goals from 48 games for Brazil, many wondered whether the enigmatic number 10 would be able to live up to the hype that was being created around him. After the group stages his career stats reads 35 goals from 51 matches. The Chilean defence needs to be in the form of their lives if they are to stop this 22 year old genius from making the often decisive impact he has on matches.
OSCAR: Most of the credit for Brazil’s wonderful performance so far has been given to the blond-haired Neymar, denying this baby faced playmaker his due of the plaudits. A Man of the Match performance in the opening match underlined his true pedigree and Oscar has time and again shown that he is indispensable to this Brazilian unit. Creative, to say the least, this attacking midfielder has an eye for goal or even a defence splitting pass and the ability to unleash both with unwavering consistency.
ALEXIS SANCHEZ: Carrying on his the form of his career best season in club football for Barcelona, Alexis Sanchez has finally shown why the Catalan giants splashed so much money for him in 2011. With the ability to play in both wings as well as a central striker, this twinkle toed sharpshooter is key to coach Jorge Sampaoli’s plans to make inroads into a solid Brazilian defence.
ARTURO VIDAL: While the midfielder’s fitness remains a question, there can be doubt that Aruro Vidal is perhaps the most vital cog in the Chilean midfield with his extreme range of passing and the knack of scoring in important games. The engineer of most counter attacking moves for Chile, Vidal’s form will be a huge factor in deciding the match.

PREDICTION
Chile have shown that they more than have it in them to beat any given side on their day, but with the home fans crying out their names, one expects the Brazilians to have too much firepower for their neighbours. Brazil 2-1 Chile.