World Cup 2018: Brazil v Belgium - the view from both camps
Brazilian fans party outside the Brazil team hotel in KazanBrazil v Belgium (Friday 6 July, 19:00 BST)
Venue: Kazan Arena, Kazan Coverage: Follow the game live on BBC One from 18:30 BST, on BBC Radio 5 live and via live text commentary on the BBC website
Brazil and Belgium meet in the last eight of the World Cup later today with one side worrying Neymar and the other focusing on the superiority of their churrasco.
Both nations won their respective groups and there were signs of the Brazil hitting their stride in a comfortable 2-0 victory over Mexico in their last-16 fixture.
Belgium can also look forward buoyantly after mounting a successful recovery to overturn a 2-0 deficit against Japan with a last-minute goal putting them closer to a first semi-final since 1986.
And there is also the mouth-watering prospecting of an attacking extravaganza with Neymar, Philippe Coutinho and Gabriel Jesus going toe-to-toe against Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin de Bruyne.
BBC Monitoring has collated some of the best news and views from both countries ahead of the game.
-
All you need to know about quarter-finals
Can Belgium's 'golden generation' find a way past Brazil? Lawro's last-eight predictions
'You looking at me?'
Neymar follows Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in having a wall mural produced in Kazan during the World Cup
When Brazilian star Neymar arrived at his hotel room in Kazan, he came face-to-face with a gigantic portrait of himself painted on a neighbouring building, Brazilian newspaper O Estado de Sao Paulo reported.
Neymar took a photo of the giant portrait of himself and posted it on social media with the caption: "Why are you looking at me, buddy?"
Meanwhile on the Neymar front, news website UOL is reporting that his actress girlfriend Bruna Marquezine is expected to move to Paris in August, after the World Cup.
"BRUMAR", as Brazilian fans call the couple, were apparently sick of having a long-distance relationship, with Marquezine a leading TV soap star in Rio de Janeiro and Neymar, living in France while he plays for Paris St-Germain.
'Three methods to stop Neymar'
Whether out of pessimism or superstition, the Belgium media has adopted a cautious approach to its coverage of tonight's game.
Le Vif warns the Belgian team to "watch out for Roberto Firmino" and calls Thiago Silva "exceptional."
La Libre has instead offered "three methods to stop Neymar," but points out that confronting the Brazilian induces an "almost schizophrenic" feeling.
'The pitch has ears'
Romelu Lukaku and Alex Witsel's linguistic skills are a concern for the Brazilian media
Brazilian newspaper O Estado de Sao Paulo have gone all John le Carre over Romelu Lukaku and Alex Witsel's ability to speak fluent Portuguese.
Never mind their talent within the Belgium side, the paper says that Lukaku and Witsel's linguistic skills mean they could act as "spies" for their team during the game.
The upshot is that Brazil's squad is "prohibited" from talking tactics on the pitch.
'A new kind of patriotism is born'
In an interview with RTBF, former manager Marc Wilmots is quoted as saying: "In Belgium, Belgian flags are hanging from every corner, from every window. Something is born: a new kind of patriotism is born. It's our greatest achievement."
Another former manager, Robert Waseige, is still waiting for payback after a goal in the 2002 World Cup by then-player Wilmots was disallowed, ensuring Brazil progressed to the quarter-finals en route to winning the competition. "Has the time for revenge come? Maybe. I want to believe," he said.
RTL Sport calls tonight's match "the quarter-final that an entire nation has been waiting for" while forward Christian Benteke, who missed out on a spot in Roberto Martinez's Belgium squad appears in confident mood on Twitter.
Belgium forward Christian Benteke used to Twitter to convey his confidence over tonight's fixtureBrazilian barbecue v Belgian beer
Tonight's game pits the 'churrasco' (Brazilian barbecue) against Belgium's world-famous beer tradition
Brazil v Belgium is about so much more it than just football according to Brazilian daily newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo who say the game pits the "best" 'churrasco' (Brazilian barbecue) against Belgium's world-famous beer tradition.
Their food critic Marcos Nogueira has unsurprisingly skewered Belgium's renowned brew saying it was of poor quality and only fit for "getting drunk" quickly - so possibly handy in the case of defeat.
Source: bbc.com
Source: bbc.com
Comments
This article has 0 comment(s) , give your comment