Group E winner's at the Women's Soccer tournament, Brazil, will face Australia on Friday after the Australians finished third in their group at the Rio 2016 Olympics. A potential semifinal against either Canada or France awaits the winners of this match and the hosts will be hoping that it will be them.
Marta leads a determined Brazil squad
Bar a 0-0 draw with South Africa in their last group match which saw a lot of changes to the starting line-up, Brazil has lived up to expectations. They have played with verve, pace and most importantly, the right tactical measure in each match. Perhaps their biggest scalp was the 5-1 dismantling of Sweden in the group matches that made every other would-be medalist take note of this particular Brazilian squad. Previous incarnations of Brazil at various Olympics have always seemed to fall just short of a Gold medal due to defensive issues or a lack of team unity but this has not been the case so far. Led by their captain Marta, Brazil has bridged the gap between Joga Bonita and tactical cohesion that has been lacking in their play before. Part of that is due to the Brazilian federation backing this team from just before the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup and the other cause for this unity is head coach Vadao. The Brazilian coach has instilled a sense of team unity and rhythm in the team that was not present before and can now look to pushing this team to new heights, starting with a win against Australia in the quarter-final.
A young Australian side is not to be discounted
The average player age of Australia is 23 years old and they have ten players all under the age of 25, making them one of the youngest if not the youngest, squads at the Olympics. These young players are not inexperienced, though, they all have not only professional club experience but also vast international experience with their country. Led by mercurial talent Lisa De Vanna, Australia poses a threat to every team they face, in any competition. At the Olympics, they have given a team like Germany all sorts of concerns and although they could not find a way past a 10-player Canada, their capabilities were on fully on show throughout the group stage. Their Achilles' heel comes in the form of their backline. They have given up far too many easy goals and head coach Alen Stajcic will be looking to remedy that before they face a Brazilian attack that has been in red-hot form. After reaching the semi-finals at the last World Cup, Australia will firmly believe that they can beat the hosts in front of their home fans and give themselves a great chance of reaching the podium at these Olympics.
Key areas for both teams
As previously mentioned, Marta is crucial for Brazil. Her flair and attacking ruthlessness will allow those around her to flourish and if Australia decides to place too many markers on Marta, others like Cristiane, Deabritz or Andressa Alves will capitalize on the space afforded to them. Brazil will be hopeful that Cristiane will be ready to play on August 12th after she picked up an injury in the second group game as she has been the perfect foil to Marta's creativity. Brazil will also look to the ever-reliable Formiga and the talented Andressa to take control of the midfield and prevent the slightly fragile Brazilian defense from having to deal with Australia's quick attack. Lastly, the performances of Bruna and Rafaella at the back have been encouraging for Brazil. If they can keep the Australians in front of them, they can position themselves correctly to stop them and not have to chase the Australian forwards back to their own goal.
Australia will probably look to sit back and counter on the Brazilians. Their defense has not been impressive and as such, will need to be protected by their midfield and their forwards. If they can transition with the ball quickly, the likes of Sam Kerr, Michelle Heyman, Kyah Simon or Lisa De Vanna will profit from the likely space afforded to them by Brazil. Players like Caitlin Foord and Katrina Gorry will be key to providing service to their front line and if they find the right combination of passes, Australia could find themselves pulling off the upset here. Another thing to consider will be the form of goalkeeper Lydia Williams. If she performs to her usual high standards, she can frustrate the Brazilians and give her team a great platform to potentially win the match.