Thiago Silva backs 'humble' Neymar to shine for Brazil

Brazil's captain Thiago Silva is aware of the "fierce competition" they will face in Qatar, but he believes the team is at ease as they get ready to play Serbia in their opening Group G match.

The Selecao qualified first in the South American CONMEBOL standings and was ranked first by FIFA when it traveled to the UAE.

Twenty years have passed since Cafu won the championship in Yokohama, and much pain has occurred since then, including being humiliated at home by Germany in the 2014 semi-finals by a humiliating 7-1 score.

The Chelsea defender Silva is aware of the added pressure to perform well in Qatar after Belgium defeated them in the 2018 quarterfinals.

The 38-year-old stated, "We know it's going to be a tough battle, so we have to be ready, first and foremost for the first match."

"We are certain that we will play well since we all understand how important it is for the first game to help us deal with our nerves."

"We firmly believe in everything we have done up to this point and are set to make our debut at the World Cup in a very favorable position, in the sense of being well in every way," the team said. What I can say to the Brazilian supporters is, "Please believe in us; know that we are prepared to have a fantastic World Cup." Although it is clear that the title is still a long way off, we may continue to dream because it is what we do every day.

Neymar needs two more goals to tie the legendary Brazilian Pele for the most goals ever scored.

Silva believes the 30-year-old, who was injured and missed the 2014 semi-final loss, can perform once again on the grandest platform.

Silva stated, "We see a better Neymar now with a different preparation, without any injury and any fear."

He is humble, and our team will put Neymar at ease even more. We'll split up the player tasks, which will assist us to advance. He will play better as a result of our interaction, therefore we must make the most of this Neymar mode.

Brazil coach Tite intends to retire after the competition, which will be his second World Cup campaign.

The 61-year-old said: "Dreaming is a part of our lives, therefore even though there is pressure, we will use it to our advantage.

"We dream to be the winner, and if we are not, then we will try our best," the statement reads. We have hopes, but we also realize that there are excellent teams (here) that compete on the same level as Brazil.

Elsewhere, coach Dragan Stojkovic of Serbia is optimistic that his team will compete with a talented Brazil team.

"Brazil has one of the best teams in the world, he remarked. It is, in my opinion, a golden generation of players right now, and it will undoubtedly be a very challenging game. But as a squad, we must be totally focused on playing our unique brand of football."

"We have nothing to be afraid of; not even Brazil terrifies me. We have no need to be afraid of anyone."

Stojkovic is still optimistic about Aleksandar Mitrovic's health after he missed Fulham's past two Premier League games due to a foot issue.

According to Stojkovic, he has trained with the team for the past four or five days. The good news is that he no longer complains of pain where his injury was. Juventus wingback Filip Kostic was listed as questionable by the Serbian manager due to a muscle issue.

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