Brazil defender David Luiz says that their 2013 Confederations Cup victory is irrelevant from now on as the start of the 2014 FIFA World Cup beckons this evening.
The hosts will take on Croatia at Sao Paulo’s Arena Corinthians and Luiz said: “The World Cup is a different tournament; it’s the biggest of the tournaments.”
“In football, past results don’t count. So, we are trying to forget what happened a year ago and concentrate on the job at hand. Yes, it was great to be champions of the Confederations Cup. It would just be great to repeat that success.”
“There’s tremendous excitement. Playing in the World Cup is a dream for every footballer and it is a great moment for me. It cannot get bigger than that!”
The 27 year-old, who is on the verge of a move to PSG from Chelsea, said of Croatia: “They have a strong team. There are no easy matches. football is not predictable. If it were so, the charm would have gone from thsi beautiful game.”
Follow Brazil’s opener with Croatia tonight on our live text feed, with analysis and match reports to come after the action has finished.
