World Cup 2022 Daily Preview: World Cup favorites Brazil to headline Thanksgiving

The World Cup betting favorites Brazil are set to make their official debut at the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Thanksgiving as they take on Serbia that headlines a quadruple-header of action Thursday.

The day sees Group G and Group H in action for a set of pivotal opening games that will help establish trajectories for the group stage. Cameroon battles Switzerland to kick things off bright and early, followed by two intriguing matchups — Uruguay vs. South Korea and Portugal vs. Ghana — before the nightcap featuring star-studded Brazil.

Here’s a look ahead at Matchday 5 of the 2022 World Cup:

Switzerland vs. Cameroon — 5 a.m.

How to Watch

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The Matchup

Cameroon couldn’t have much of a worse matchup for its opening game of the tournament. If the Indomitable Lions are characterized as a team in transition without solid tactical structure under manager Rigobert Song, Switzerland is just the opposite. While neither team has a solid goalscoring source, Switzerland are well-drilled, organized and hardworking, sure to make life difficult for Cameroon’s forwards. Whichever team over-extends and goes down in the game will find life very very difficult, both in this game and going forward in the tournament.

Player to Watch: Yan Sommer

Photo by Harry Langer/DeFodi Images via Getty Images

We may not feature many goalkeepers as ones to keep your eye on in this tournament, but Sommer is the true heartbeat of the Swiss side and the one who is primarily tasked with keeping the group as organized and defensively solid as they have made their team’s identity. He’s a player that, like many forwards, can change a game as a great penalty stopper.

Uruguay vs. South Korea — 8 a.m.

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The Matchup

This matchup presents another great contrast in styles and team identity. If you know anything about Uruguay historically, they always come to World Cups as much more than just a sum of their colelctive talents. They are fierce — nasty, even — and tenacious for 90 minutes. But if there’s ever been a year where they will need that tenacity to through, it’s this year, where they are clearly vulnerable at the back with firepower up top.

But never sleep on South Korea — a team that may not be quite as physical as Uruguay, but is always a well-drilled disciplined team. And they’ve got one of the best forwards in the world, Son Heung-Min, leading the line (wearing a mask to protect a recently fractured cheek).

Player to Watch: Darwin Nuñez

Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images

Liverpool’s star winger seems set to take the mantle on the global stage as Uruguay’s next top star. On the club level, that has already happened with his monster move to Liverpool, but there’s nothing that cements a star like producing in a World Cup. South Korea will have their hands full accounting for him.

Portugal vs. Ghana — 11 a.m.

How to Watch

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The Matchup

We know how this one should play out. The world class Portuguese players overwhelm a plucky Ghana team, but simply proves too much. That certainly could happen, but there’s an air of volatility swirling around a Portugal side that should be among the world’s best. Several players either injured, out of form, or creating a media circus could prove to be tripwires for an otherwise loaded squad.

Ghana has the youngest team in the tournament at a remarkable average age of just 23.5 years old — half a year younger than the second-youngest United States. With that youth comes a ton of uncertainty, but they also have a handful of players with world-class experience and talent, which they’ll rely upon to propel them through the tournament. In this particular matchup, watch for them to overwhelm Portugal with their speed on the break to try to catch out the more technical side.

Player to Watch: Bernardo Silva

Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images

If there’s a player that symbolizes the platonic ideal of what their national team should play like, it’s Bernardo Silva. Silva has established himself as one of the top midfielders in the world since arriving at Manchester City from Benfica in 2017, and is the player that makes this Portuguese side tick. He is the oil in the engine that allows the parts to flourish. And he will make life hell on a young Ghanaian midfield that has struggled to nullify such players in recent games.

Brazil vs. Serbia — 2 p.m.

How to Watch

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The Matchup

Brazil is primed to win its first World Cup since 2002. It’s remarkable that it’s been 20 years since they’ve hoisted the Jules Rimet trophy given their stature in the game. The team comes into this year’s tournament with world-class talent at almost every position and one of the most experienced squads they’ve fielded in the 20 years since they last won it. Serbia will obviously be trying to scratch and claw for any points in this one. But if there’s anything on their side, it’s the experience of having been in this same group with Brazil just four years ago in Russia.

Player to Watch: Neymar

Photo by Kenta Harada/Getty Images

With Brazil, there are so many options to choose from. But realistically, when Neymar is on the field, especially for Brazil, it’s hard to watch anyone else.