Brazil manager Gilberto Costa said he is not worried that his team's 42-match winning streak could come to an end at the Intercontinental Beach Soccer Cup in Dubai, saying there is no such thing an an "invincible" team.
Brazil open the eight-team tournament at the Marasi Business Bay against Egypt on Tuesday, with Gilberto keen to add to the Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup crown his side collected in the Bahamas in May.
“We know that there are around 10 national teams in the world who are at the highest level, which means that eventually, the first defeat will come because our opponents are working hard, too,” he said.
“We know that there is no such thing as an invincible team but our commitment is just to do our best always, in every second of every game or training session. For us, the prospect of delivering even just a little less is not acceptable.”
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Gilberto said he expects "a tight competition" from Brazil's Group A rivals which also features former world champions Portugal, and the hosts UAE.
“We were drawn in the same group as Portugal, who are former world champions and who can call on some terrific players such as Jordan Santos or Be Martins, who are playing at an incredible level," he said.
“The UAE have also grown a lot during this last season, and, playing at home, they will show that extra spirit that turns them into a very dangerous team. Egypt also have some good attacking players, so we will need to be careful if we do not want them to catch us by surprise.”
Gilberto revealed his charges had been working on a few new tricks for the competition in Dubai.
“We will keep playing with the intensity and pace we have been playing in the last months,” he added.
“We will try to bring some tactical evolutions, but not drastic changes. Of course, we will thoroughly analyse our opponents and adapt our approach to better tackle their strengths and expose their weaknesses. What we really want is to Brazil play better and faster than ever.”
Tuesday's schedule:
4.15pm: Egypt v Brazil (Group A)
5.30pm: Portugal v UAE (Group A)
6.45pm: Russia v Mexico (Group B)
8pm: Iran v Paraguay (Group B)
Wednesday:
4.15pm: UAE v Egypt (Group A)
5.30pm: Brazil v Portugal (Group A)
6.45pm: Paraguay v Russia (Group B)
8pm: Mexico v Iran (Group B)
Thursday:
4.15pm: Mexico v Paraguay (Group B)
5.30pm: Egypt v Portugal (Group A)
6.45pm: UAE v Brazil (Group A)
8pm: Iran v Russia (Group B)
