Brazil feel the familiar weight of being favoured (Group G team profile)

RIO DE JANEIRO - Five-time football World Cup champions Brazil arrive in South Africa, as always, among the favourites to take top spot at the finals. With a deeper talent pool than any other nation, coach Dunga is spoiled for choice once more.

However, problems in the Selecao do need addressing before hostilities get under way this June.

Dunga, once a player known more for his grit and determination than his skills, took over the Brazilian hot seat back in August of 2006, following a disappointing quarter-final exit for the South American giants in Germany 2006.

He has introduced a raft of new players and stamped his authority on the team. He has clashed with media, players and FA officials along the way and built a team where not even world superstars like Ronaldinho and Kaka are guaranteed their spots.

Dunga’s record with Brazil speaks for itself, and after a faltering start to the South American qualifying campaign, he steered the Brazilians to top spot in the table, one point ahead of Paraguay and Chile.

Like the player, Dunga’s Brazil is more graft than panache, and the coach’s defensive focus was on display in the qualifying round. The Selecao conceded just 11 goals in their 18 games en route to top spot, which was by far the best in the region.

At the other end of the pitch, the output was again the best on the continent, with 33 goals goal scored in those same 18 matches. Although Ronaldinho and Ronaldo are no longer considered for the squad, Dunga can rely on such attacking stars as Robinho, Luis Fabiano and Real Madrid schemer Kaka, whose inconsistent time with the Spanish giants this season will be a source of concern for Dunga.

The Brazilians made their mark as odds-on favourites to take their sixth world title when, last summer in South Africa, they beat Italy and the United States en route to claiming the trophy at the Confederations Cup, a stripped-down warm-up tournament for this years World Cup.

This time around, the Selecao will not have things all their own way, drawn as they have been into a very difficult Group G.

Facing off with Portugal and star Cristiano Ronaldo in the group stage, Dunga and his Brazil will also meet motivated spoilers North Korea, who rarely qualify for the worlds showpiece event but tend to make their mark when they do, and Ivory Coast, considered perhaps Africas top contender at these finals.

“I think its justified to call ours `the Group of Death, but this teams already lived through a lot of adversity and is ready to face this situation,” says former Arsenal holding midfielder and Brazil stalwart Gilberto Silva about the group. But of course [the other teams in Group G] respect us, that’s just what its like at the World Cup - everybody wants to beat Brazil.”

The coach: Carlos Dunga, 46, had a distinguished playing career in his native Brazil as well as in Italy, Germany and eventually Japan. For the national team, he played at the finals in Italy in 1990 before captaining Brazil to their first World Cup crown in just under 25 years after a penalty shootout win over the Italians at USA ‘94.

Inside Brazil, Dunga has had his detractors, first as a no- nonsense, no-frills player, then as a similar-minded coach. After winning the 2007 Copa America and the 2009 Confederations Cup, it seems the novice boss is winning a certain amount of grudging respect in the land of romantic football.

The star: Kaka, despite injury concerns and lack of form since his record move from AC Milan to Real Madrid at the start of last season, remains Brazils key player in the middle of the park. Having won the Balon D’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year honours in 2007, the 28- year-olds speed, precision and simple elegance on the football pitch have ranked among the top in the game.

Beginning his club career at a young age with Sao Paulo, it didn’t take Kaka long to be courted by Europes top clubs. With AC Milan he won the Italian league in 2004 and then the Champions League three years later, becoming a fan favourite along the way. Having made his senior debut with Brazil at age 20, South Africa 2010 will be his third World Cup for the Selecao.