Both teams will play their second match this week as the Americans host the five-time world champions at a packed FedEx Field in Maryland.
It’s not often than a coach comes into a match against the mighty Brazilians as positive as U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann is. But his squad performed very well in Sunday’s encounter with Scotland, as they showcased an attractive display of attacking soccer that resulted in a 5-1 victory, led by a Landon Donovan hat-trick.
The team is undefeated in four matches so far in 2012, including a confidence-boosting 1-0 win against Italy a couple of months back. It is only the second time in U.S. history that is has opened up a year with four consecutive victories; the last time was in 1998 when the Americans beat Brazil in their fourth match.
The Americans are treating these matches as more than friendlies with World Cup Qualifying matches just a couple of weeks away.
They will also receive boosts from Rangers midfielder Maurice Edu who joined the team yesterday, along with Fulham striker Clint Dempsey who also entered training and may see some minutes if his groin feels better. If he doesn’t play, the U.S. will still have many selections to pick from up front, including Donovan, Terrence Boyd, and MLS leading goalscorer Chris Wondolowski.
The U.S. is paying a nice 4.00 to win at home, and it's not as far-fetched as many people think.
The draw bet is paying 3.40, which may not seem bad until you learn that in the 16 matches that these two have played there has never been a draw. Brazil has won 15 of those.
The big concern for the U.S. will be how the side is able to contain young phenom Neymar, who joins Brazil after playing in the Copa Libertadores last week.
Brazil are Brazil after all, and every bookie on earth has the South Americans favoured with a payout of 1.72, which seems reasonable. The team is coming off a 3-1 victory against Denmark in Germany on Saturday with a largely depleted roster. But if Hulk, who scored a pair last match, is to start up front with Neymar, it could be a very long night for the Red, White and Blue.
If Brazil is able to score in both halves, it will payout 2.75, and if the Brazilians lead after the both the 45th and at final whistle, the payout is at 4.33.
The smart money is on the over 2.5 and quite possibly even the over 3.5, which will posted on matchday over at Ladbrokes.com.
There are tons of other offerings as well including the halftime/fulltime listings below.
| Half-time | Full-time | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Home | Home | 8.00 |
| Home | Draw | 15.00 |
| Home | Away | 23.00 |
| Draw | Home | 10.00 |
| Draw | Draw | 5.00 |
| Draw | Away | 4.50 |
| Away | Home | 26.00 |
| Away | Draw | 15.00 |
| Away | Away | 2.62 |
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