SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Brazil use Confederations Cup to train for World Cup

Record ID: 455092

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Brazil use Confederations Cup to train for World Cup
  • Date: 15th June 2009
  • Summary: BLOEMFONTEIN, SOUTH AFRICA (JUNE 14, 2009) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF BRAZILIAN PLAYERS TRAINING POLICE WATCHING VARIOUS OF BRAZILIAN PLAYERS EXERCISING MEDIA WATCHING MORE OF BRAZILIAN PLAYERS TRAINING
  • Embargoed: 30th June 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVADCQTGVDGADVU403ET3QU14VK1
  • Story Text: Brazil's coach Dunga told the media at a briefing on Sunday (June 14) that he will not underestimate African champions Egypt but will use the opportunity presented by the Confederation Cup encounters to prepare for the next World Cup.
    Brazil, Spain and world champions Italy will be the favourites at the two-week tournament and will get the opportunity to experience South African conditions 12 months before the 2010 World Cup finals.
    The eight-team Confederations Cup, which started on Sunday, serves as a test event for next year. The field is made up of the champions of the six continental confederations plus the last World Cup winners and the 2010 host nation.
    Brazil and Italy are both in Group B, with Egypt and the United States having the potential to play a spoiling role.
    Brazil, who won the 2005 Confederations Cup in Germany, made the exhausting cross-continental trip three days before their opening game against Egypt on Monday (June 15) because of their World Cup qualifier against Paraguay last Wednesday.
    Brazil take on the African champions Egypt in Bloemfontein at the start of the Group B campaign.
    Brazil, who won the World Cup test event in Germany four years ago, are not expected to tinker with the team that won six more points in World Cup qualifying over the last week.
    Wins over Uruguay and Paraguay have put Brazil on the brink of securing qualification for the 2010 tournament and despite the continuing exertions for most of his squad at the end of a long European season, coach Dunga suggested he was not about to offer any rest to key players.
    "This is a good opportunity for us to know ourselves and to prepare also for the World Cup. It is a long way to go. The players and the national team should always stay focused, that is the way to work, that is why Kaka refused to comment about transfers and other things because the focus is on the national team. Our main objective is to prepare for the World Cup," said Dunga at a media briefing on Sunday.
    Egypt will be hoping to catch the Brazilians tired, with coach Hassan Shehata insisting his side had the right credentials for a surprise result.
    " History says they are better than us but still we will be looking forward to the game. We will do our best, displaying our best performance as African champions and hope through this game we can give an image of Egyptian football showing how Egyptian and African football has developed lately," Shehata told the media on the eve of their game with Brazil.
    Brazil, who won the last tournament in 2005 by beating Argentina in the final, are without out-of-form Ronaldinho and are also missing Manchester United midfielder Anderson and Chelsea centre-back Alex, who are both injured.
    But Dunga still has has plenty of talent to chose from with Manchester City's Robinho leading the frontline along with Sevilla's Luis Fabiano and AC Milan's Alexandre Pato, while Real Madrid's Kaka will anchor the midfield.
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