Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti insists he has no intention of drawing up a special “anti-Holland“ plan in an attempt to neutralize Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and overcome Norway to secure a place in the quarterfinals of the World Cup, BTA reported.
After topping Group C, Ancelotti's team won hard after a 2-1 comeback against Japan in their 1/16-finals with a goal in added time by Gabriel Martinelli.
Brazil will face another serious test for their hopes of winning a sixth World Cup title when they meet a tough Norway team at the “MetLife“ Stadium on Sunday, with the winners facing either England or co-hosts Mexico.
However, Ancelotti insists his players must focus on stopping a well-coached Norway team as a whole, rather than just watching closely how Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes will cope against Holland.
“I don't think there is such a thing as a plan against Holland,” Ancelotti told a news conference. “I don't need to tell my players how to defend, they have faced each other several times.
Our team is in optimal condition. But we have to keep improving.“
“Everyone knows how Haaland plays. I don't have to tell my defenders how to play against him. "Obviously they have played against them a few times, so we are just focused on preparing well for the match, understanding the main characteristics of the opponent and we know that they are very dangerous in attack. Norway is a challenging team, a team that has structure, has very good organisation, so we have to play at our best, but I think we are at a time when we can play at our best because we are confident and we came off a difficult last match against Japan."
Brazil will be without midfielder Lucas Paqueta, who suffered a hamstring problem against Japan, but Barcelona forward Rafinha could return to action after a thigh injury.
“Rafinha is recovering very well,“ said Ancelotti. “He is not 100 percent yet, but he is available to be on the bench and be able to play a few minutes or be useful at certain times. He recovered very well and very quickly. We are very happy about that because Rafinha is a very, very important player for the team.“