By sportswriter Michael Place
MOSCOW, June 21 (Xinhua) -- What to look out for in World Cup matchday 9 on Friday.
1. Can Brazil bounce back against Costa Rica?
Brazil started their World Cup campaign in stuttering fashion against Switzerland but they can take a giant stride towards securing a place in the next stage of the tournament if they beat Costa Rica in Saint Petersburg.
The Selecao have won nine of their past 10 matches against the Central Americans, with their only defeat coming in a friendly 58 years ago.
Doubt surrounds the fitness of Brazil talisman Neymar, who missed a training session on Tuesday after suffering a series of knocks against Switzerland.
According to Brazil coach Tite, the 26-year-old Paris St-Germain forward is also yet to regain full fitness after missing more than three months because of a broken bone in his right foot.
Costa Rica need to win to avoid early elimination following a 1-0 loss to Serbia in their opener.
2. Help for John Obi Mikel
Nigeria were better than the scoreline suggested in their 2-0 loss to Croatia on Saturday. The African side had 14 shots compared to Croatia's 11, though only two were on target.
Against Iceland, they will need more from a midfield that remains reliant on the ageing legs of John Obi Mikel, while they will also be hoping that Victor Moses and Alex Iwobi can provide a spark on the wings as they attempt to prise open the Nordic side's tight defence.
These sides have met only once before, with Iceland winning 3-0 in a friendly in 1981.
3. Iceland grit
World Cup debutants Iceland had eight shots in the first half of their 1-1 draw with Argentina on Saturday but didn't manage a single attempt on goal after the break.
Their tendency to remain compact and sit deep -- a strategy that saw them reach the quarterfinals of Euro 2016 -- is unlikely to change here as Heimir Hallgrimsson's men aim to suffocate Nigeria in the final third and create havoc on the counter-attack. Forward Alfred Finnbogason, who scored against Argentina, and playmaker Gylfi Sigurdsson are the team's chief attacking threats.
Iceland are hoping to become the first team to avoid defeat in both of their first two World Cup matches since Senegal in 2002.
4. Swiss threat
Switzerland have lost just one of their past 23 matches: a 2-0 defeat to Portugal in a World Cup qualifier last October. In pre-World Cup friendlies, the European side drew 1-1 with Spain and beat Japan 2-0. Vladimir Petkovic's team carried on that form with an impressive 1-1 draw against Brazil in their World Cup opener on Sunday, showing remarkable defensive solidity and enough potency in attack to suggest that they might cause Serbia problems in Kaliningrad.
This will be the first match featuring Switzerland against Serbia as an independent nation. In 13 matches between Switzerland and Yugoslavia, the latter won six, drew five and lost just two. Enditem
