Brazil vs Serbia Prediction, Lineups, Results & Betting Tips

The current World Cup favourites Brazil take on Serbia in a tricky looking Group G opener at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar.

Brazil vs Serbia Stats:

• Neymar has scored a colossal 75 goals in 121 appearances for the Seleção
• Referee Alireza Faghani has awarded an average of nearly five cards per game in his last eight games officiated
• Across their last 21 outings, Brazil’s opponents have averaged nearly 3.5 cards per match

Brazil vs Serbia Prediction:

Betting Tip: Neymar Anytime Goalscorer

At the time of writing, Brazil are the favourites to win the World Cup and it’s hard to argue against that given the plethora of talent they have at their disposal. They’re expected to win their group and they should be able to open their account with a win here.

When Brazil needs goals, Neymar tends to be the man who steps up to the plate and he has notched five goals in his last five appearances for the South Americans. He’s also likely to be on penalties which only increases the likelihood of him scoring as I'm expecting the Serbians to get extremely physical.

He made his first appearance in a World Cup back in 2014 and since then he has been involved in 42% of their 19 goals in this tournament. He’s going to be a constant thorn in Serbia’s side and based purely on the price, this looks a standout selection.

Betting Tip: Over 4.5 Cards

I mentioned that I thought this would be quite a physical encounter and I think we will see a fair few cards here. I’m by no means attacking the South American style, but Brazil have plenty of players that are experts in winning free-kicks and securing advantageous situations which is what I think we could see here.

The referee for this clash is Iranian Alireza Faghani and he hands out more cards than Clintons. Across his previous eight matches in charge, he has awarded an average of nearly five cards per game. He’s brandished at least five in six of those eight outings and I don’t think he’ll have much choice but to show them.

The line is set at over 4.5 cards and whilst I think that Serbia could see the majority of the total cards awarded, Brazil aren’t averse to using the dark arts and they can also contribute to the count.

Brazil vs Serbia Results:

Brazil vs Serbia Team News:

Brazil:

• Manchester United winger Antony made the squad but isn't expected to start. Raphinha should start on the right for Brazil

Serbia:

• Aleksandar Mitrovic is expected to miss out of their opening fixture, after he suffered an ankle injury. If he starts, he should partner Dusan Vlahovic, but Luka Jovic should take Mitrovic's place if he misses out

Brazil vs Serbia Lineups

Predicted lineups are brought to you by WhoScored.com.

Brazil 

Alisson, Danilo, Marquinhos, Silva, Sandro, Paqueta, Casemiro, Fred, Raphinha, Richarlison, Neymar

Serbia

V. Milinkovic-Savic, Pavlovic, S.Mitrovic, Milenkovic, Zivkovic, S. Milinkovic-Savic, Gudelj, Kostic, Tadic, Vlahovic, Jovic

Brazil v Serbia Score Prediction:

Brazil 2-0 Serbia