Brazil faces Japan on Saturday in the opening game of the 2013 Confederations Cup. The match starts at 3 p.m. ET. Tune into ESPN or watch the live stream HERE.
Brazil and Japan meet on Saturday in Brazil's Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha stadium, one year ahead of the 2014 World Cup. Brazil is already a favorite to advance from Group A, which includes Japan, Mexico and Italy, according to Caught Off Side.
Brazil manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has assembled a talented squad, highlighted by Hulk, Oscar, Neymar and Fred. Despite a disappointing 2-2 draw with England, Brazil showed improvement with a recent 3-0 win over France.
Japan hasn't fared much better. Their first win in four games came against Iraq, 1-0. Japan looks to advance from the competitive Group A behind the play of Keisuke Honda, Yuto Nagatoma and Shinji Kagawa. Their best finish in the Confederations Cup was in 2001, when they finished as runners-up.
Brazil, on the other hand, has won the Confederations Cup three times — most recently in 2009.
The Confederations Cup serves as a dress rehearsal for next year's World Cup. It provides the eight teams involved the chance to make tune-ups to their lineup, and it allows the host nation, Brazil, to have a dry run ahead of the 2014 World Cup.
For the complete schedule of the 2013 Confederations Cup, visit here.
