Brazil have reached the final of the Men’s Youth Olympic Futsal Tournament Buenos Aires 2018, where they will face Russia on Thursday 18 October in the Main Futsal Hall.

FIFA.com picks out three reasons why the Brazilians are capable of claiming the gold medal.

In terms of individuals, A Selecão can call on pivotal figures like Francoar, who has made vital saves in every game, and Guilhermao, who has found the net in all five fixtures so far and leads the tournament scoring charts on 11. The team looks equally impressive as a collective, with six different players having provided the 21 assists that led to 75 per cent of their 28 goals.

Brazil came into the tournament as strong candidates for gold and have played as such throughout, never taking their foot off the pedal. They came through the sternest of tests in the semi-final against Argentina, against whom they surrendered a two-goal lead only to score the winner when at their most vulnerable. Having survived that, confidence must be sky-high.

Brazil already beat Russia during the group stage (6-1). After a first half as intense as it was even, the South Americans scored five times after the break for a far more emphatic victory than many expected. And despite Russia having impressed in their subsequent games, a defeat of that magnitude can get inside your head, meaning Brazil start as favourites.