IN the 20 years since their last World Cup triumph in Japan and South Korea, a succession of talented Brazilian sides have fallen by the wayside as they have attempted to claim their nation’s sixth crown.

Some have been unfortunate, losing narrowly in closely-fought knockout ties, others have imploded under the weight of expectation, most notably when crashing to a 7-1 defeat to Germany on home soil in 2014. Almost all started their respective tournaments as the favourites to claim the title.

So, while the current Brazilian line-up deserve their status as the likeliest World Cup winners before a ball is kicked in Qatar, Tite and his players will not be taking anything for granted. After two decades of waiting, Brazil demands their deliver.

They certainly boast the deepest attack of the tournament, with Neymar, Gabriel Jesus, Richarlison, Raphinha, Antony, Rodrygo and Gabriel Martinelli all competing for a starting spot. Neymar is the one guaranteed starter, although whether he plays as the central striker or in a slightly more deep-lying role remains to be seen.

Newcastle United’s Bruno Guimaraes will almost certainly find himself battling with his close friend and now West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta for a starting spot, with Casemiro’s presence as the only holding midfielder making him a hugely-important part of Tite’s tactical plans.

The central defence is strong, with Thiago Silva likely to be partnered by Marquinhos, and in Allison and Ederson, Brazil boast two of the best goalkeepers in Qatar.

The full-back positions are perhaps an area of concern, along with the fact that Brazil have not lined up against European opposition since a 2019 friendly against the Czech Republic. The knockout stages will ask some new questions of this side, but at this stage, there is no reason to suspect they will not have the answers.

They could do with making a fast start, however, as they find themselves in a difficult group alongside Switzerland, Serbia and Cameroon.

The Swiss are seasoned tournament performers, having claimed a 1-1 draw with Brazil at the last World Cup and knocked out France at last summer’s Euros. They finished above Italy in qualifying, helping to ensure the reigning European champions would not be involved in Qatar, and beat both Spain and Portugal in this year’s Nations League matches.

Strong, experienced and defensively well-organised, with Newcastle United’s Fabian Schar playing a prominent role, Switzerland are a dangerous team to underestimate. Their lack of a proven goalscorer remains a weakness – Breel Embolo is likely to lead the line – but it would be no surprise to see the likes of Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri rolling back the years and making life difficult for Switzerland’s group rivals.

Serbia could also ask difficult questions of Brazil, although their prospects will almost certainly stand or fall on the wellbeing of Aleksandar Mitrovic. The Fulham striker heads into the tournament carrying a knock, and with so much of Serbia’s play being based around getting the ball to their attacking talisman, their hopes of springing a surprise against Brazil in their opening game would be severely dented if Mitrovic was operating at less than 100 per cent.

That said, however, the Serbs are far from a one-man team, with Lazio’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Juventus’ Filip Kostic and Ajax’s Dusan Tadic all having been in fine form with their respective clubs.

Cameroon complete the group, and while they have been handed a difficult task, they are far from whipping boys. Brentford’s Bryan Mbuemo has opted to play for Cameroon rather than France, and head coach, Rigobert Song, has constructed a well-balanced side without any obvious major weaknesses. Even so, they will be doing extremely well to make it out of the group.