Brazil defender Douglas Santos has warned his team not to underestimate Haiti after a frustrating start to the World Cup, insisting that the five-time champions cannot afford complacency following a 1-1 draw with Morocco in their opening match.<\/p>\n
Carlo Ancelotti\u2019s side struggled to find control against Morocco in New Jersey and now face a must-win assignment against Group C outsiders Haiti in Philadelphia on Friday, with a victory seen as the quickest route to easing the pressure building after the shaky debut.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, where the squad is based, Santos stressed that Brazil must respect the occasion and the opponent. \u201cWe can\u2019t allow ourselves that kind of talk that it\u2019s Haiti and we\u2019re going to beat them by a big margin,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cWe have to keep our feet on the ground, be humble and know that the three points are the most important thing right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Haiti, competing in the World Cup for the first time since 1974, came into the tournament on the back of a narrow defeat. The team lost 1-0 to Scotland in a closely fought match in Boston on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Douglas Santos highlighted Haiti\u2019s physical presence and competitiveness after watching their previous outing. \u201cThey are a physically strong team, with an intensity that, from what I saw against Scotland, shows they are very competitive. It will be a very difficult match, and the first thing we have to think about is winning,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The 32-year-old, who started against Morocco, acknowledged that Brazil will need to raise their level, particularly at the defensive end. He pointed out that the Selecao have conceded at least once in each of their last six matches and that they will have to \u201cplay much better\u201d and tighten up.<\/p>\n
Santos also expressed confidence that Brazil can reset quickly now that the disappointment of the opener has passed, with the team still chasing a first World Cup title since 2002.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a lot of hard-fought games, a lot of draws\u2026 So we have to be prepared emotionally and physically to be able to give our very best,\u201d said the Zenit Saint Petersburg left-back.<\/p>\n
He further suggested there is optimism inside the camp that Neymar could return soon after a calf injury has kept him out for the past month. \u201cWe\u2019re praying for him to get back to 100%, because when he\u2019s at 100% he\u2019ll be someone who can help us a lot,\u201d Santos said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Brazil defender Douglas Santos has warned his team not to underestimate Haiti after a frustrating start to the World Cup, insisting that the five-time champions cannot afford complacency following a 1-1 draw with Morocco in their opening match. Carlo Ancelotti\u2019s side struggled to find control against Morocco in New Jersey and now face a must-win […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2101,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Douglas Santos Urges Brazil Focus vs Haiti After Draw","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Douglas Santos tells Brazil to avoid complacency after the Morocco 1-1 draw, as they face must-win Haiti clash in Group C on Frida","mma_seo_breadcrumb_text":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_url":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_hide_ui":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_labels":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n