FIFA World Cup 2018: Brazil will miss Marcelo as they seek to neutralize the Mexican pacy attack that consumed Germany

Death, taxes and Brazil in the knockout rounds of a World Cup. In the midst of an honestly bonkers tournament, where the prediction of match results has proven to be a little easier than playing, Brazil has a good chance of retaining a semblance of sanity in the world.

Brazil will be without Marcelo (C) because of a back problem. AFP

Football teams in this part of the world often suffer from the difficult situation of piling up against their predecessors, most of them succeeding rather well. English outfits are often referred to as unfortunate porters of a thirsty 50-year-old success, but imagine being the defenders of a record like that of Brazil: five-time champions, never qualified for the World Cup and eliminated in the group stage Only once since their appearance in the semifinal in 1938. It's been eight decades of consistency and many lives that are worth painful shoulders.

After a long time, this Brazilian team is like the one who has the strength and conviction to carry that weight. Only six remain from the humiliation of 2014, and the team is richer for the renovation. Under Titus, they seemed animated, and their victory over Serbia showed signs of a group finding their pace. That they enjoyed a match against Germany in the round of 16, full of revenge prospects, it's a guess, but they have their hands full against a Mexico team that has reduced the champions in title to jokes As this tournament has shown with so many unknown teams, Mexico is not there to catch up with the numbers. They are pacy, agile and appallingly fast while pressing or retrieving the second ball, and this has made Germany look older and slower than they are in reality. Although they do not have the physical power of the Serbs or the Swiss, Mexico does more than compensate the opponents of the ball.

Key Battles

Filipe Luis vs. Mexico Striker

Brazil would suffer from losing Marcelo, whose ability to attack force oppositions to line up an extra defender on his kite. That was evident in the Champions League final, when Salah and Mane could not play too high for the danger of giving Marcelo room to run behind. The Mexicans line up the same 4-3-3, where Carlos Vela and winger Hirving Lozano put the laterals under pressure. Filipe Luis is a very accomplished defender, but he's not quite Marcelo, and Mexico's strikers will not be afraid to counter him because he does not give the impetus as does the Real Madrid

Coutinho vs. Hector Herrera

While most of the noise was around the physical form and theatrical performance of Neymar, Philippe Coutinho quietly reached maturity as the main Brazilian man at this tournament. He started the campaign in a spectacular way, the 25-yard curlers usually justify him, following him with a goal of clutching Costa Rica, and a nice help picked up against Serbia. Brazil could have a range of naturally talented footballers on the field, but Coutinho's ability to unlock a defense will not be lost to the Mexican team.

Hector Herrera, the central axis of Mexico, has the task of stopping it. With Jonathan dos Santos and Andres Guardado ensuring a creative output ahead of him, Herrera will have a clear defensive dictat and could look in Coutinho's shadow throughout the game.

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There is little doubt that Brazil will enter the match as overwhelming favorites, as they usually do in the s big tournaments. Without looking spectacular, Brazil looked confident and more in control with every passing match. They have a good balance of dynamism and solidity, a quality that has been rare at this tournament.

Mexico's departure for this tournament against Germany was accentuated with a solid 2-1 victory over South Korea, but the 3-0 defeat at the hands of Sweden had to dent their spirits. Winning is a habit and breeds confidence and momentum, and the implosion of Mexico in Yekaterinburg can prove their usual collapse in the early stages of a major tournament. El Tri 0-4 in the World Cup against the men in yellow, and six consecutive outings in the round of 32, will reinforce the belief that Brazil has another appearance in the quarterfinals in perspective .