Brazil v Russia
They were the first nation to win the World Cup three times, they remain the most exciting of all footballing nations.... but they have not won the competition since 1970.
Brazil, the only country to have qualified for all 15 World Cup finals, start their group B programme this evening, in a match covered live from San Francisco's Stanford Stadium, against Russia, making their first appearance in the World Cup as a single state after the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Since the great days of the Pele-inspired team that won the trophy in 1958, 1962 and 1970, Brazil have promised much but achieved only a third place in 1978. Dazzling skills have often been let down by ; defensive frailty, and their great rivals Argentina have emerged as the most successful South American side in recent World Cup competitions.
Even allowing for some sketchy performances in their qualifying matches, including a shock 2-0 defeat in Bolivia, Brazil still come to the finals as one of the favourites to win the trophy. In warm-up matches, which included a 1-1 draw against little-rated Canada, they remained enigmatic.
Many of their players now star with Europe's top clubs and, given a good run in the competition, men like Romario (Barcelona), Bebeto (Deportivo La Coruha) and Rai (Paris St Germain) could emerge as the big names of the tournament.
Much could depend on manager Carlos Alberto Parreira 's ability to harness the great rivalry between his star players.
The Russians have had a difficult preparation for the finals with discontent between management and players... Dmitri Kharin, Chelsea's goalkeeper in the FA Cup final, has signed an agreement to play in the finals and will add some vital solidity and experience to the Russian defence.
Commentary is by John Motson and Trevor Brooking. Introduced by Bob Wilson with Terry Venables and Jimmy Hill.
Followed by Video Nation Shorts
As coverage of the World Cup is live, subsequent programmes may run late