Brazil World Cup 2014 Roster: Squad Info and Group-Stage Predictions

In 2014, it's World Cup victory or disappointment for Luiz Felipe Scolari. 

Brazil have suffered deflating quarterfinal defeats in the last two tournaments, but expectations remain through the roof. No country in the world has more passion for the beautiful game, and when you combine that illustrious history with an abundance of talent surging through the roster and a significant advantage as hosts, there is only one acceptable outcome:

Lifting the World Cup trophy for a record sixth time. 

Still, midfielder Willian believes the presence of the devoted-but-demanding Brazilian faithful will provide more emotional boost than nerve-wracking pressure, as reported by Reuters.com's Tatiana Ramil:

"

I like to think that playing at home will be beneficial to Brazil, that the support of fans and family will give us a boost like it did in the Confederations Cup. 

I think the pressure will be on our opponents, who will have to face Brazil at home with the support of the home crowd.

"

While that's probably true, Selecao remain the team with easily the most pressure over the next month. Let's take a closer look at the squad responsible for living up to those lofty expectations. 

Squad Info

Position	Player	Club
GK	Julio Cesar	Toronto FC (On Loan from QPR)
GK	Jefferson	Botafogo
GK	Victor	Atletico Mineiro
DEF	Dante	Bayern Munich
DEF	David Luiz	Chelsea
DEF	Thiago Silva	Paris St. Germain
DEF	Henrique	Napoli
DEF	Dani Alves	Barcelona
DEF	Maicon	Roma
DEF	Marcelo	Real Madrid
DEF	Maxwell	Paris St. Germain
DEF	Rafinha*	Bayern Munich
DEF	Miranda*	Atletico Madrid
DEF	Filipe Luis*	Atletico Madrid
MID	Fernandinho	Manchester City
MID	Hernanes	Inter Milan
MID	Luiz Gustavo	VfL Wolfsburg
MID	Oscar	Chelsea
MID	Paulinho	Tottenham Hotspur
MID	Ramires	Chelsea
MID	Willian	Chelsea
MID	Bernard	Shakhtar Donetsk
MID	Lucas Leiva*	Liverpool
MID	Lucas Moura*	PSG
FW	Fred	Fluminense
FW	Hulk	Zenit St. Petersburg
FW	Jo	Atlético Mineiro
FW	Neymar	Barcelona
FW	Alan Kardec*	Sao Paulo

If nothing else, Brazil will be incredibly exciting on the attack. 

Neymar, who is fresh off tallying 15 goals and 11 assists across all competition in his first season with Barcelona, is one of the most spectacular talents in the world. As he made clear during Brazil's 2013 romp through the Confederations Cup, the 22-year-old's creativity, skill and deadly pace give him the potential to take over games. 

No matter where he lines up, his ability to create will be crucial because in a very un-Brazil-like fashion, there is no dominant, experienced striker up front. While talented, Jo and Fred aren't exactly the most reliable pair of front men.

That said, not many teams will score more goals than Brazil, who poured in 2.8 per match during the Confederations Cup. Dangerous playmakers like Hulk, Oscar, Paulinho and Bernard will join Neymar interchangeably throughout the attacking midfield, while the speed of holding midfielders Fernandinho and Willian make Selecao absolutely explosive on the counterattack.

A lack of World Cup experience won't matter much. The speed and technical ability surging through this roster means there is potential for fireworks every time Scolari's bunch take the pitch in front of the home crowd. 

Group-Stage Predictions

Date	Opponent	Result
		Group Result
Thur, June 12	Croatia	W, 3-1
Tue, June 17	Mexico	W, 2-1
Mon, June 23	Cameroon	W, 2-0
		9 Points, First in Group

The draw couldn't have gone much better for the World Cup favorites. 

Mexico fell apart during World Cup qualification, losing three of their last four CONCACAF meetings and needing a playoff win over New Zealand just to book a ticket here. They have looked better since the hiring of Miguel Herrera, but a serious injury to Luis Montes had El Tri looking stale against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Croatia took a similar path, faltering in Europe before winning a playoff against tiny Iceland. They are also under new leadership. 

Cameroon was solid in World Cup qualifying, but Les Lions Indomptables haven't made it out of the group stage since 1990. 

This sets up perfectly for Brazil. Selecao are extremely talented and capable of hoisting the trophy in Rio de Janeiro. But they are fairly young in spots and haven't played a competitive match in a year, as they didn't have to qualify. This draw gives them an opportunity to get rid of the nerves, adjust to the non-friendly pace and find a cohesive rhythm without much chance of slipping up. 

Using the first three matches to get in form will be crucial, too, because one of Spain, Netherlands and Chile will likely be waiting in the Round of 16.