World Cup 2010: Will First South American Nation Eliminated be Brazil or Chile?

Throughout the 2010 FIFA World Cup, South American nations really have had a fantastic time in South Africa.

As of right now, no South American nations have been eliminated, and four of the five South American nations finished first in their group, with only Chile finishing second in Group H.

Now, we will see the first South American nation eliminated from the World Cup today in Ellis Park in Johannesburg, as Group G winner Brazil takes on rival Chile.

And with this major match, here is my official preview of Brazil v. Chile.

What is on the line

Not only is it advancing onto the quarterfinals, but also the pride of not being the first South American nation to be eliminated from the World Cup.

Key Players

Brazil:

With Chile's great offense, Brazil's key player will be the man who anchors their defense; Lucio .

Overall, Lucio has had a very solid World Cup, and a win here will surely help Brazil go a long way here in South Africa.

Chile:

The best young player in the World Cup so far, Alexis Sanchez has really proven himself to be the next big-time player to come out of Chile.

If Sanchez has another fantastic match, Chile could see themselves going through.

What each side must do to win

Brazil:

For Brazil, the key here is to really attack the Chilean defense, something that Spain aimed to do at the beginning of their match against Chile, but didn't really emphasize on doing as the match went on.

Chile:

For la Roja, they actually have to start putting their chances into the back of the net.

For a really explosive offense, having three goals through three matches is not good enough.

Biggest Key to Victory

Brazil:

For Brazil, Julio Cesar and the Brazilian defense must be up to the task and be sure that they completely stop Alexis Sanchez.

Chile:

For Chile, they must be able to put away their chances.

Projected Lineups:

Brazil: (4-2-3-1)

                                                     Julio Cesar

             Maicon                 Lucio                         Juan            Michel Bastos

                                 Gilberto Silva                  Felipe Melo

                        Elano                        Kaka                   Robinho

                                                   Luis Fabiano

Chile: (3-3-1-3)

                      Sanchez                     Suazo                   Beausejour

                                                     Fernandez

                       Vidal                       Carmona                       Isla

                       Jara                         Fuentes                  Contreras

                                                        Bravo

X-Factor:

The x-factor here will be the fact that Chile will be a little more exhausted due to the fact that they played a large portion of their match against Spain with only ten men.

Will that come back to hurt la Roja? Or will it help them attack more against Brazil?

Prediction:

These are two extremely talented squads with some fantastic players as the fans at Ellis Park will really be in for a great match.

And this will turn out to be a great match, as Brazil will win 3-2 in a classic encounter between these two rivals.