Add to this the statistic that of the 13 stagings of the showpiece event, only five host nations have won it on home soil, and punters are right to look away from Mano Menezes leading the current crop of Samba Stars to world domination.

Brazil can point to fellow South American nations Uruguay (1930) and Argentina (1974) winning the World Cup in their own back yard and it is true that friendly form offers few clues when it comes to the business end of tournaments.

Punters have to cast their minds back almost 12 months ago for the most recent and telling lines of form about the Brazilians.

A poor Copa America campaign yielded just one win from a group containing Venezuela, Paraguay and Ecuador. Defeat in the quarter-finals by the eventual finalists Paraguay and the silence back on the Copacabana Beach was deafening.

A friendly defeat by Germany followed before an impressive run of form which produced a 10-game unbeaten run, although job-done wins against the likes of Ghana and Gabon are devilishly difficult to decipher.

It is curious that in that run the Brazilians only ever managed to score over two goals twice, while they did manage to keep six clean sheets, suggesting substance over style has become the new mandate for success.

Only last month A Selecao lost two friendlies – to South American neighbours Mexico and a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina – to suggest Menezes has his work cut out between now and the staging of the tournament.

In mitigation this is a Brazil side which has yet to peak – at 28 goalkeeper Jefferson is the oldest member of the current squad – and with age comes experience.

The Brazil sides of yesteryear have had household superstars to carry the weight of expectation, but the current squad lacks that box office attraction.

Santos favourite Neymar could light up the tournament and possesses moments of magnetism, while Alexandre Pato and Hulk also have age on their side.

Thiago Silva is now in his peak years for AC Milan and left-back Marcelo offers an excellent out-ball, but a lack of experience at international level in midfield could cost Brazil.

By contrast, Spain (4/1 – 2014 World Cup outright) have just won a third successive major international tournament to consign their also-rans tag to the dustbin and look the more complete package, while the climate is unlikely to trouble them.

Germany’s exciting crop of emerging talent will benefit from a painful Euro 2012 exit (8/1 Germany – 2014 World Cup outright), while other South American nations, subject to qualifying, such as Uruguay (20/1 – 2014 World Cup outright), the top side for the region at the 2010 World Cup, will feel they too can steal Brazil’s thunder.

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