Brazil and Croatia tip off the World Cup
A combination picture shows the statue of Christ the Redeemer lit up in the colours of some of the countries that will take part in the 2014 World Cup, in Rio de Janeiro June 11, 2014. REUTERS

Thursday night - all roads lead to Sao Paolo.

The first kick will officially commence Thursday night in the 2014 World Cup with a very intriguing Gorup A clash between host country Brazil and Croatia.

While the Selecao are the heavy favorites in the opening match of the match anticipated tournament, an upset is not out of the cards. The Croatian national team's power has been greatly diminished without the likes of Davor Suker and Robert Prosinecki and it is also suffering from the expected absence of Mario Mandzukic, who is suspended following his red card in the play-off game against Iceland back in November.

However, the host team has been notable to slow starts. Add to that the pressure of playing for the home crowd would surely place the team on a very anxious position.

All eyes would be on Brazil star Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior or simply Neymar, who many predict will be the star of the World Cup. The 22-year-old winger gave a huge scare to the coaching staff last Monday when he suffered a minor ankle injury during practice. However, the Barcelona forward was able to pick himself up, and complete the training with the rest of the team, which eliminated all doubts of his health and status for the tournament.

The Blazers won both of their last two warm-up matches against Mali at home and Australia in Brazil. They are now looking to extend their undefeated streak and silence the raucous home crowd by relying on the formidable midfield duo of Ivan Rakitic and former Tottenham Hotspur player Luka Modric.

The two teams also met in the 2006 World Cup wherein Brazil narrowly edged Croatia 1-0. Their international friendly match in August 2005 ended in a draw 1-1. Brazil is the heavy favorite to come out of the opening salvo of the tournament given that they are the most sucessful nation in the history of the tournament. They have captured the cup a record of five times while Croatia enjoyed their best finish in 1998 when they got third place.

You can watch the live streaming match of Brazil and Croatia via the tournament's official site, FIFA.COM, or ESPN and ITV