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Five-time champions Brazil remain one of the hottest commodities in international football, and with the quadrennial global tournament - FIFA World Cup 2022 - fast approaching, the world's number one ranked side is once again being fancied to deliver on the big stage. Tite's men would look to end a two-decade wait for the most prestigious crown in football but in order to achieve the dream, they will have to cross multiple hurdles, starting from the Group stage.
Brazil is in Group G along with Serbia, Switzerland and Cameron. On paper, Thiago Silva's men are the runaway favourites to clinch the top spot but football is unpredictable and there have been numerous instances in the past where underdogs have punched above their weight and pulled off a glaring upset. Brazil would surely want to avoid any surprises while competing against lesser-talented teams.
Ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, we analyse each team that are in Group G:
Brazil
Five World Cup titles in 21 appearances, speak volumes about the rich history of Brazil's football at the quadrennial global event. The number-one-ranked team is brimming with players, who not only boast stunning individual skills but have collectively been playing solid football in the last couple of years. The Selecao lost last year's Copa America final to their old rivals Argentina and the upcoming World Cup offers them a chance at redemption. Neymar Jr, Vinicius Jr and Casemiro are arguably the three most pivotal players for Brazil but the experience of Dani Alves and Thiago Silva would be paramount as well.
Fixtures: Brazil vs Serbia: November 24, Brazil vs Switzerland: November 28, Brazil vs Cameroon: December 02
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Alisson, Ederson, Weverton.
Defenders: Dani Alves, Danilo, Alex Sandro, Alex Telles, Bremer, Eder Militao, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva.
Midfielders: Bruno Guimaraes, Casemiro, Everton Ribeiro, Fabinho, Fred, Lucas Paqueta.
Attackers: Antony, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Neymar, Pedro, Raphinha, Richarlison, Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior.
Switzerland
Switzerland will feature at the FIFA World Cup for the 12th time and they have never been able to cross the quarter-final stage, having succumbed to the knockouts thrice. Rossocrociati doesn't boast a heavyweight squad like Brazil and another quarter-final finish would be a win for Murat Yakin's men. Having said that, Switzerland played fantastic football in the qualifiers and ended their group toppers. Yakin's men are dogged in defence and hard to break down and on offense, they have skillful and experienced players like Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri, who can open any defence with their astute passes. Manchester City's Manuel Akanji is another big name in the squad and his solidity at the back would be instrumental for Switzerland.
Fixtures: Switzerland vs Cameroon: November 24, Switzerland vs Brazil: November 28, Switzerland vs Serbia: December 02
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Gregor Kobel, Yann Sommer, Jonas Omlin, Philipp Kohn
Defenders: Manuel Akanji, Eray Comert, Nico Elvedi, Fabian Schar, Silvan Widmer, Ricardo Rodriguez, Edimilson Fernandes
Midfielders: Michel Aebischer, Xherdan Shaqiri, Renato Steffen, Granit Xhaka, Denis Zakaria, Fabian Frei, Remo Freuler, Noah Okafor, Fabian Rieder, Ardon Jashari
Forwards: Breel Embolo, Ruben Vargas, Djibril Sow, Haris Seferovic, Christian Fassnacht
Cameroon
Cameroon will make its eighth appearance at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar with the quarter-final stage being the best finish for the African nation. Captain Vincent Aboubakar, Andre Onana and Karl Toko Ejambi will need to deliver on a regular basis and their performance will determine whether or not the Indomitable Lions make the cut for the knockouts. Cameroon reached the quarter-finals in the 1990 edition of the quadrennial event and a similar finish would be a gigantic achievement for Rigobert Song's men.
Fixtures: Cameroon vs Switzerland: November 24, Cameroon vs Serbia: November 28, Cameroon vs Brazil: December 02
Goalkeepers: Andre Onana, Devis Epassy, Simon Ngapandouetnbu
Defenders: Jean-Charles Castelletto, Enzo Ebosse, Collins Fai, Olivier Mbaizo, Nouhou Tolo, Nicolas Nkoulou, Christopher Wooh
Midfielders: Olivier Ntcham, Gael Ondoua, Martin Hongla, Pierre Kunde, Samuel Oum Gouet, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Jerome Ngom
Forwards: Nicolas Ngamaleu, Christian Bassogog, Bryan Mbeumo, Georges-Kevin Nkoudou, Jean-Pierre Nsame, Vincent Aboubakar, Karl Toko-Ekambi, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Souaibou Marou
Serbia
After Brazil, Serbia has the experience advantage in Group G as the European country has participated in the 12 FIFA World Cups in the past. Dragan Stojkovic's men qualified for the finals after winning Group A in the qualifying stage, which included a famous win against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal. Serbia's squad comprises several players who ply their trade in the top-5 European league. Captain Dusan Tadic remains the pivotal cog in Serbia's unit while the team also has Premier League sensation Aleksandar Mitrovic and Real Madrid's Luka Jovic in their ranks.
Fixtures: Serbia vs Brazil: November 24, Serbia vs Cameroon: November 28, Serbia vs Switzerland: December 02
Goalkeepers: Marko Dmitrovic, Predrag Rajkovic, Vanja Milinkovic-Savic
Defenders: Stefan Mitrovic, Nikola Milenkovic, Strahinja Pavlovic, Milos Veljkovic, Filip Mladenovic, Strahinja Erakovic, Srdjan Babic
Midfielders: Nemanja Gudelj, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Sasa Lukic, Marko Grujic, Filip Kostic, Uros Racic, Nemanja Maksimovic, Ivan Ilic, Andrija Zivkovic, Darko Lazovic
Forwards: Dusan Tadic, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Dusan Vlahovic, Filip Djuricic, Luka Jovic, Nemanja Radonjic
Prediction
It is difficult and also would be childish to pick Brazil as the favourites in Group G. The Selecao will travel to Qatar as one of the contenders to win the trophy. The fight for the second spot will be interesting and looking at recent performances and team composition, Serbia are likely to edge Switzerland for the second-place finish in Group G.
