Brazil vs Chile Preview, ABC TV Start Time: Watch World Cup 2014 Last 16 Football
Brazil will play Chile on Saturday as the World Cup 2014 Round of 16 gets underway. The hosts will be favorites to win their way through to the quarterfinals, however, Chile will pose a serious challenge and if the Brazilians are not at the peak of their game, there could be an upset here today. The game is scheduled to start at 12 p.m. ET and can be watched on TV on the ABC network.
In team news, Brazil defender David Luiz has a slight back injury that he suffered in training this week. However, with less than 24 hours to go until the game he was predicted to be fit and should make the big game.
Meanwhile, Chile defender Gary Medel has a muscle strain and is a serious doubt, but they will still look to give him a late fitness test and if he pulls through that then he is expected to be named in the starting 11.
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For Chile, midfielder Arturo Vidal is also expected to return after being rested for the final group stage game in which the Chileans were defeated by the Netherlands.
There are a number of players from both sides already on one yellow card through the group stages, and if any of them pick up a yellow in today's knock out game, then they would miss the quarterfinals should their team make it through. Those yellow carded players are: Vidal, Charles Aranguiz, Francisco Silva and Eugenio Mena for Chile, and for Brazil there are Thiago Silva, Ramires, Neymar and Luiz Gustavo.
History is with Brazil in this fixture; they have never lost to Chile on home soil in 95 years, spanning 26 matches between the pair. However, Chile are a very different team to many in decades gone by, and they recently not only defeated reigning World Cup champions Spain, but beat them convincingly on their way through their group matches.
Four years ago, Chile and Brazil faced off in the same stage of World Cup 2010 in South Africa. Brazil won convincingly 3-0, which was in fact their third World Cup win over Chile.
However, Brazil manager Luiz Felipe Scolari is cautious about today's game: "Statistics mean nothing. I believe since coach (Jorge) Sampaoli arrived, the Chile team have a new dynamism, a much better performance. The players have adapted to the scheme he thinks best and they adapted perfectly."
Chile will be looking to knock out this year's favorites today, and in doing so they would reach their first World Cup quarterfinal since they hosted the tournament in 1962.
Chile's Alexis Sanchez has said ahead of the game: "We have respect for them, but I think we are going to beat them. We came to this World Cup to make history. We beat the world champions, and although we had a slip-up against Holland, we are going out to try and win the Cup."
Brazil and Chile will kick off their game at 12 p.m. ET, and the game can be watched on TV on the ABC network.
