(REUTERS) – Brazil’s elite women players will achieve something Pele, the greatest soccer player of all-time, never managed in his career when they play at Wembley Stadium today. One of Pele’s great regrets is that every time he had been due to play under Wembley’s old Twin Towers, fate intervened, but the likes of Marta, Cristiane and Formiga will take the step he never did when they meet Britain in the Olympics in their final Group E match.
Coach Jorge Barcellos said his team was “very excited” about the match which will decide who wins and who finishes second in the group with both teams already qualified for the quarter-finals.
Britain and Brazil both have six points from two wins, while New Zealand and Cameroon are already eliminated after losing both their opening games.
“They are not nervous, they are happy to be here, as am I the coach. It is everyone’s dream to play at Wembley, it is one of the great stadiums of the world and it will be very special for us as well.
“There will be a crowd of maybe 70 000 or 75 000 and it is not every day women play in front of crowds like that. But we are ready and we are fit, although I may make some changes to the team for the match.”
Barcellos, whose side beat Cameroon 5-0 in their opening match and then needed a late goal from Cristiane to beat New Zealand 1-0 in their next game, played down the prospect of their gold medal hopes, even though they are among the favourites to win the title for the first time.
“I am not thinking about that now,” he said.
“I am just concentrating on the match against Britain. It is almost the match that might be played in the semi-final or final, but there are a lot of good teams still involved in the competition.
“The United States, Britain, Japan, Sweden, France, even North Korea – every team has its star players and it is going to be very, very hard tomorrow.”
He also laughed off a suggestion that Brazil’s women could embarrass their male counterparts if they won their gold and the likes of Neymar, Oscar and Sandro failed to win theirs for the first time.
“I am not thinking about that either. We are both backed by the same FA – and we want to take home two gold medals,” he smiled.