Chris Boline
- Brazil v Switzerland
- Sunday, November 28, 2022, 11:00 ET
- At Stadium 974, Doha
Who do Bettors Favor?
As we can see from the best-rated online sportsbooks, Brazil are the strong favorites with bettors to win this game after their opening victory against Serbia. The World Cup favorites are rated as -250 to make it two from two here, while Switzerland are priced at +390 and the draw is available at +750.
World Cup Group G Betting Briefing
Brazil may be the strong favorites to win Group G but there are no easy opponents in this Group, which includes two experienced European opponents and one of the top teams in Africa.
The difficulty of the Group was emphasised by Switzerland’s opening game against Cameroon. The Swiss are major tournament veterans but they were outplayed for long periods of time against the African team and were a little fortunate to get the win, helped by some wasteful finishing and a lack of urgency from Cameroon in the closing minutes.
Serbia are more of a wild card, having developed a more progressive style of play than they showed at the 2018 tournament, yet retaining the capacity to play a rugged brand of defensive football, as they showed in their opening game against Brazil.
Brazil will be keen to stamp their authority on the competition but in terms of the all-important progression to the Round of 16, both of the likeliest knockout round opponents from Group H: Portugal and Uruguay, will be hard to beat, so whether a team finishes top or second in Group G is not likely to be significant.
Dominant Brazil Aiming High
For the World Cup favorites, winning Group G is merely the beginning of their journey towards what they hope will be an end to a 20-year World Cup wait. They have good reason to be aiming high.
The Brazilian forwards include an array of the best players in the world, including Neymar, Vinicius Junior, Richarlison, Gabriel Jesus and Raphinha, and unlike some Brazilian squads of recent years, they have a good balance throughout the squad.
Against Serbia they had a good work out against a team that is compact and that also poses a threat at the other end of the field and they came through that test, which was as much a challenge to their resolution and patience as it was their football ability.
Switzerland Need to Improve
Switzerland have been major tournament regulars in recent years, but their opening to this World Cup was disappointing and manager Murat Yakin will know that they need to improve.
Of course, picking up a win despite playing badly is often the sign of a successful team, but few fans who saw the game with Cameroon will be convinced by that. Switzerland offered very little against Cameroon in the first half and were repeatedly threatened by the long balls and direct play of their opponents.
The contrast between Cameroon’s tactics and the type of football they are likely to face on Sunday could hardly be more different. It could be that facing a better team will suit Switzerland and the fact that they managed a 1-1 draw against Brazil at the last World Cup suggests they can compete.
That was a far less dangerous Brazilian team than this one, however, with fewer attacking options, and based on what we saw in their opening game, Switzerland need to improve drastically to be in with a chance of upsetting the tournament favorites.
World Cup Group H Match Betting Pick
Serbia made things hard for Brazil in the first half of their opening Group H game but eventually the tournament favorites came through and that could be good news for the tournament. If parking the bus and trying to frustrate Brazil does not work, then we may see fewer opponents trying it and more open games as a result, with Brazil’s array of forwards able to do their thing.
When it comes to this game, Switzerland are unlikely to follow the Serbian example, not least because they don’t have the same physically imposing defensive players.
Hopefully, with a win already under their belt, Switzerland will try to play a little football, and the result could be a relatively open and entertaining game. Ultimately, whatever tactics Switzerland try here, they don’t have the strength in defense or midfield to match Brazil.
This may turn out to be an enjoyable match to watch, with a few goals, but the outcome will surely be a win for Brazil, confirming their qualification to the Round of 16.
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