Brazil
Haiti
An under-pressure Brazil — still reeling from the 1-1 draw with Morocco that left Ancelotti fielding uncomfortable questions — take on a Haiti side who lost 1-0 to Scotland in a match that arguably deserved more. At Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, the Seleção need a convincing win to restore confidence and keep pace at the top of Group C. For Haiti, another creditable defensive performance and the chance to add a historic first point — or even a historic first goal against Brazil — is the target. This is one of the most mathematically lopsided fixtures of the group stage, but after the results we have seen in this tournament, nobody is writing Haiti off entirely.
Brazil — A Seleção
Ancelotti is expected to make two changes from the Morocco draw. Casemiro — heavily criticised for his performance against Morocco, where he was outworked in the midfield battle — keeps his place in this predicted lineup despite pressure from Fabinho, who made a strong impression as a substitute. Douglas Santos is predicted to retain his left-back spot. The more notable shift is up front, where Paquetá is dropped following a below-par display, with Luis Henrique coming in on the right of the attacking three — allowing Raphinha to shift more centrally. Vinicius Júnior continues on the left, where he created the most danger against Morocco. Up front, Igor Thiago leads the line — Cunha and the pressure for Endrick to start remain in the background, but Ancelotti appears reluctant to deviate from Thiago as his preferred central option.
Brazil's first-round xG numbers were encouraging even in the draw — they generated real chances, Vinicius was their most dangerous player, and the Morocco goal came against the run of play. What they lacked was a clinical finisher in the mould of a fully fit Neymar to convert the half-chances that fell to them. Haiti will defend in a low block and look to frustrate, which is exactly the type of opponent that exposes this Brazil team's current limitations if they cannot find early goals to open the game up.
Haiti — Les Grenadiers
Migné is predicted to keep faith with broadly the same 4-4-2 that gave Scotland significant problems, with one change on the right wing — Deedson comes in for Casimir after his two successive 60-minute appearances earned him the nod. Captain Placide returns in goal, the back four of Experience, Delcroix, Ade and Arcus stays intact, and the midfield of Providence, Bellegarde, Jacques and Deedson will be tasked with the near-impossible job of limiting Vinicius and Raphinha.
Up front, Isidor and Pierrot partner again — Nazon, Haiti's all-time top scorer with 44 goals in 78 caps, remains an option from the bench, but Pierrot keeps his starting place after featuring in the Scotland game. Haiti's performance against Scotland was genuinely impressive — they conceded only from a rebound effort, created their own chances and showed a defensive resilience that impressed watching coaches. Against Brazil they will need to be even better organised, and they may well consider a more defensive shape as the game approaches. Their best hope is to stay in it for 60 minutes and find a moment from a set-piece or a counter-attack.
Predicted Lineups
Key Battle
Vinicius Júnior vs the Haiti back four. Against Morocco, Vinicius was Brazil's most dangerous player by a considerable distance — running at defenders, winning free-kicks and creating the direct threat that the rest of the attack struggled to provide. Haiti's back four kept McGinn and the Scotland attack relatively quiet, but Vinicius is in a different category entirely. Experience and Arcus will face the most difficult ninety minutes of their international careers. If Brazil can get Vinicius on the ball in wide areas early and build pressure from his movement, the floodgates should open. The key question is whether Haiti, playing more defensively against superior opposition, can stay compact enough to limit his impact for long enough to make this interesting.
Prediction
Brazil need to win and win well to restore both confidence and goal difference ahead of the Scotland match. Haiti are organised and spirited — but the gap in quality at this level is too significant to overcome for ninety minutes. Expect Brazil to find the goals their first-game performance perhaps deserved, with Vinicius the catalyst throughout.
Brazil 3–0 Haiti — Vinicius Júnior, Thiago, Raphinha
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