Leonard Thomas: Selecao set to samba in Russia
Most of the biggest stars in the game today capable of lifting the trophy in Russia are fit, and maybe we will get to see Mohamed Salah dance for at least two games to cap off a remarkable individual season in his first World Cup to soothe football-mad Egyptians.
The World Cup in Russia is one of the most open in history, with a mix of favourites, contenders and a couple of possibles among a clutch of teams that can celebrate with the most famous trophy in sport in their custody.
I see Tite's Brazil enjoying a samba party at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow at the end of it all.
While lifting a record-extending sixth world crown will not be quite enough to end the pain after the plunge to hell on home soil four years ago, this would be a kind of balm for a nation that are football's appointed guardians.
Brazil have gone more than a year without defeat and they enter the tournament with a string of impressive displays behind them.
With two sublime strikes in two recent friendly matches after his return from a broken metatarsal, golden boy Neymar is well rested and hungry.
The 26-year-old is at the apex of a supporting cast of attackers blessed with speed and the dexterity of feet, a forward unit that can breach any defence in the world.
Gabriel Jesus, Philippe Coutinho, Willian and Roberto Firmino are not imposing physical figures, but they all have the ability to cut defensive markers down with a feint, pass or a whirr of dribbling.
The calamitous 7-1 defeat by Germany in the 2014 semi-final in Belo Horizonte was mostly down to the absence of an injured Neymar, say many Brazilians, but an inept bunch of defensive players was as much to blame for the most humiliating defeat in their history.
Tite has righted the ship, and today, there is menace, bite and indefatigability in midfield sentries Fernandinho and Casemiro.
Left-back Marcelo is a holdover from 2014 and remains a liability, but as a group, Brazil's defence is much steadier and they are backed by the talented Alisson in goal.
Only fear can hold Brazil back. The team are accompanied by a unique kind of pressure, with ghosts like Pele and Garrincha perennial shadows at every World Cup.
The moans, complaints, scoldings and groans of 200 million countrymen tighten like a vice around any Brazil team that struggle to entertain.
Consistently compared to the 1982 side or the 1970 vintage - the greatest team of them all - it is an unfair reality.
An expected clash with Belgium in the quarter-finals is where this pressure, this fear of failure, could choke them.
Roberto Martinez's side, fashionably known as the "Brazil of Europe", are a pure footballing team with gifted individuals and a shining star in Eden Hazard.
But Belgium don't set out to kick opposing players, and Brazil have Neymar. He will be the difference in what could well be the standout match of the tournament.
Fear shed, fuelled by the win, brimming with confidence after possibly the biggest test of them all, Tite's men will march on and hold the ultimate celebration in Moscow.
Whether you're in Rio, Turin, Osaka or Kinshasa, there's going to be a party on July 15.
And there's nothing more intoxicating than a samba beat.
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