Last year, Brazil lost in the quarter finals of the World Cup against the Netherlands, but this new Brazilian squad is only interested in the future. And what is in the past remains in the past.
“It’s not a rematch. The World Cup is a unique competition,” said Cesar. “I felt a lot that defeat – we all did. This is a valuable match for us. It’s good for the new coach (Mano Menezes) to watch the team. We have the Copa America ahead and as we won’t have the qualifiers this time for the next World Cup, it’s more difficult for them to build the team.”
But looking at the Selecao, this game looks nothing like a friendly one. Mano Menezes called what is probably the best squad he could find at the moment. And as a proof that he means business, he will start the game with three forwards.
The Oranje on the other hand will present a slightly different team from the one from the World Cup. First their star player Wesley Sneijder won’t be playing due to an injury. And the future of their coach, Bert Van Marwijk, is still unclear.
Robin Van Persie has urged him to stay: “Every time I have been with the national team, he challenges us as a group and me individually,” the Arsenal striker told Voetbal International. “He keeps everyone sharp and demands that we are on top of our game. That’s clever as not every coach knows the right chord to strike with their players.”
