England vs. Brazil: Key Players to Watch in Sunday's Friendly Matchup

Despite legitimate concerns over whether the new Maracana Stadium is safe enough to host a football match, Brazil and England will go ahead and play as scheduled at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Perhaps England's worry should be directed less toward the grounds and more toward their roster, which is in a state of disrepair. Star forwards Danny Welbeck and Daniel Sturridge—of Manchester United and Liverpool, respectively—are both out with injuries, the Brits now left with just 18 healthy players from their original roster.

Brazil's roster is at or near full strength, which would seem to give them an advantage, but England is still talented enough to put up a good fight.

Let's take a look at three players to watch in this afternoon's contest:

Jermain Defoe, England

As alluded to above, England's roster has been stretched thin all around, no position feeling the weight of injury more than striker. With Welbeck and Sturridge sidelined, former English stalwart Jermain Defoe will be called upon to come up in a big way.

Talent has never been the question surrounding Defoe. He plays with incredible pace and has, almost to a detriment, a nose for goal when attacking.

I call that a near detriment because his insatiable drive to score is sometimes toxic. In layman's terms, he's a ball hog.

But that won't work against Brazil, an experienced defensive side that can take away what Defoe does best. England's best chance of creating opportunities is for Defoe to work with Wayne Rooney, not off of him.

If Rooney and Defoe can link up at the top, England might be able to poke some holes in Brazil's defense. If not—if Defoe plays a one-on-one game, as he's so often want to do—it could be a long day for England's attack.

Neymar, Brazil

Everybody always wants to get a look at Neymar, one of the top young players in all of football and certainly among the most exciting. But now, after signing a five-year deal to play alongside Lionel Messi at Barcelona, all eyes will be on him like never before.

Brazil has the fifth-highest population in the world, but on the global football landscape, it's hardly a speck during club season. People have always known about Neymar, and his YouTube videos are the stuff of legend, but on a greater scale, he almost becomes irrelevant during the European season.

But that's no longer the case, and today the world gets a glimpse at the man who might dominate across the Atlantic for years to come.

If Neymar can handle the pressure of extra eyes and expectation, he could be in store for a big game against England. Their defense is big and strong, but ponderous; a player with Neymar's pace and brio could lead to their ultimate undoing.

Keep an eye on the newest Barca player this afternoon: He could be in store for a(nother) coming-out party.

Joe Hart, England

By a similar token, the entire Brazilian attack could be in store for a good game against England, whose style they contrast auspiciously.

The flair, pace and creativity of Brazilian soccer is unfamiliar to most of England's roster, who are burdened at times by their insular headspace acquired through years of playing in the Premiership. England plays strong, technical, straight-line football, but Brazil plays a game much more redolent of Spain.

We saw a few English clubs acquit themselves poorly in this year's Champions League, Arsenal and Machester United losing in the Round of 16, while Chelsea and Manchester City missed the knockout round altogether. Just as the NFL has moved toward a system of spread offense and read option, world football has moved toward a system of brio and skill.

Which is all to say this: Brazil might catch England off guard with their attack this afternoon, which should lead to a plethora of scoring chances. And England will rely heavily on their last line of defense, keeper Joe Hart, to keep those chances from becoming goals.

Keeper has long been a weakness for the English (hi, Robert Greene!), but Joe Hart has afforded them stability between the pipes. Today will be a good test for him against a high-scoring side that matches up well.