TNT Sports
Brazil must use pace
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Published 15/06/2005 at 15:36 GMT+1
Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira is stressing the need for speed when his side make their Confederations Cup debut with a Group B match against Greece in Leipzig on Thursday. Follow the Confederations Cup LIVE from 18:00cet on Wednesday.
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For world player of the year Ronaldinho, just generating some noise would be nice.
"It's been too quiet," Ronaldinho said from the confines of the team's secluded hotel near Cologne. "I've never seen anywhere as quiet as this. We really need a big change."
A 40,000 crowd will pack the Zentralstadion in Leipzig to give Ronaldinho his wish but the world champions are not expecting an easy night of it.
"We're going to need more speed in our play if we're going to beat Greece," Parreira said as the team left for Leipzig. "They are very efficient in defence."
Ronaldo is missing from the Brazilian squad, after the Real Madrid forward was given an extended holiday, but Adriano is back after scoring twice for Inter Milan in the first leg of the Italian Cup final against Roma.
Brazil lost 3-1 to Argentina in their last game, a result that means they need three points from their last three regional games to qualify for next year's World Cup and Parreira is worried about his defence.
"We'll need to be faster in the transition from attack to defence when we lose the ball. Greece will defend with all 11 players and the look to hit on the counter-attack."
GREEK STRUGGLE
After their shock European championship victory last year, Greece have struggled in their World Cup qualifying European Group Two and have slipped to third place.
The Greeks will be missing striker Zissis Vryzas, who suffered a broken left hand in a relegation match for his Spanish side Celto Vigo on Sunday. He flew to Germany with his hand in plaster.
Rehhagel is expected to replace Vryzas with either in-form Panathinakikos striker Fanis Gekkas, top scorer in the Greek league this past season, or Dimitris Papapopoulos.
Greece are already missing defender Traianos Dellas, recovering from hernia surgery, and will also be without defender Mihalis Kapsis, who has a leg problem.
Brazil and Greece have met just once in the past, a friendly 0-0 draw in Rio de Janeiro in 1974.
The tournament gets underway on Wednesday when Argentina face Tunisia and Germany take on Australia. The final is on June 29 in Frankfurt.
Teams:
Brazil: Dida; Cicinho, Roque Junior, Juan, Leo or Gilberto; Emerson, Ze Roberto, Kaka, Ronaldinho; Robinho, Adriano
Greece: Antonis Nikopolidis; Yannis Goumas, Michalis Kapsis, Takis Fyssas, Yourkas Seitaridis; Angelos Basinas, Stelios Giannakopoulos, Theodoros Zagorakis, Giorgios Karagounis; Fanis Gekkas, Angelos Haristeas
Referee: Lubos Michel (Slovakia)
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