Portugal has a lot of playmakers, although some of them are a little long in the tooth (i.e. Deco). Their problem has been they can't put it together at the Cup...they just don't seem to gel, and they have problems finishing (Christian Ronaldo was ICE COLD scoring for the national team. I mean, their last game was evident of that. They dominated the first half against North Korea, but were only up 1-0 at the half. Then for about 20 minutes, they played some of the best soccer you'll ever see, and just poured it on, eventually ending up with 6 goals in that 2nd half. I don't care who you play, scoring 6 goals in one half proves how talented you are. Spain would beat them however.
As for Brazil, their coach decided to bring a different type of team, and make no mstake about it, they are a STRONG side. He decided to leave some stars at home (Ronaldino) in favor of players that are more athletic and in some cases, physically stronger. So what you have in Brazil is a team that will tackle better, defend better, and play better soccer tactically. What you get less of is 'jogo bonito' - beautiful soccer - but make no mistake, these guys are still loaded with playmakers and they can still produce beautiful soccer. Guys like Kaka, Robihno, Adriano, etc, are still on the team. It's just that they are trying to have the best of both worlds. Plus they have an excellent goalkeeper.
Don't be surprised if Brazil doesn't win today vs. Portugal, just because Kaka is out, they've already qualified, and Portugal could steal the group. It could be a yawner if both teams decide that their places in the next stage are already sealed and they play conservatively. However, if Portugal comes out trying to win the group, it could be very entertaining...
