Johannesburg: Brazil's players and their new defense-minded style will be unveiled in the World Cup against a North Korea squad they, and pretty much everyone else, knows very little about.
While five-time champion Brazil has won more titles than any country at football's biggest showcase, North Korea hasn't played in the tournament in more than 40 years and its international isolation is about its only advantage before Tuesday's match at Ellis Park.
Brazil is not taking the Koreans lightly, though.
"The 32 teams that qualified for the World Cup can play," Dunga said. "Regardless of tradition, they have to be respected. We can't enter the match thinking we are going to win it. We have to be focused and play the best we can."
With the former defensive midfielder in command, Brazil has put aside the "Beautiful Game" that used to enchant fans around the world and will field a style similar to the one that helped Brazil win the 1994 World Cup with Dunga as its captain.
The defense is one of Brazil's high points now, with goalkeeper Julio Cesar and central defenders Lucio and Maicon among the world's best. The attacking will be left for playmaker Kaka and forwards Luis Fabiano and Robinho.
"There is always the anxiety of the first match, but we have to play like Brazil usually plays and we should be all right," said Kaka, who arrived surrounded by doubts over his physical condition following a series of injuries with Real Madrid but is set to start on Tuesday.
Dunga revamped the squad following its disappointing 1-0 loss to France in the quarterfinals of the 2006 World Cup in Germany, picking players known for their discipline and hard work and not for their stardom or past successes.
His defensive style displeased millions of football-crazy fans in Brazil, but his team earned significant results on the field to quell many of the critics and make Brazil a favorite to win the tournament in South Africa.
With few squad changes since he took over, Dunga helped Brazil win the Confederations Cup last year and finish first in South American World Cup qualifying. Brazil also beat Italy, England, Portugal and Argentina in friendlies before the World Cup.
"It's our style and if we play the way we have been playing we can come out victorious," left back Michel Bastos said.
But the unpredictability surrounding the secluded Asian nation is making Brazil wary of an upset like the one the team from the reclusive communist state pulled off in 1966, when it beat Italy en route to the quarterfinals in its only previous World Cup appearance.
Brazil and North Korea have never faced each other before.
"We watched a few videos on them, but we know that against Brazil all the teams play differently, so we will have to wait and see," Kaka said.
It has been hard to find a lot of information about the North Korea squad, which has been mostly hidden from public view and the media at a remote hotel in the northern outskirts of Johannesburg since arriving in South Africa.
"One thing we can expect is that they will play very defensively against us," Brazil midfielder Gilberto Silva said.
In the 1966 World Cup, the North Koreans defied expectations by beating Italy 1-0 and becoming the first team from Asia to reach the final eight. It then lost 5-3 to Portugal despite holding an early 3-0 lead.
A repeat may be difficult in South Africa after North Korea was drawn into a tough Group G, which also contains Ivory Coast and Portugal. The opener might be the hardest test for the Koreans, as Brazil again arrives as one of the title favorites despite a team without stars such as Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Adriano.
North Korea coach Kim Jong Hun acknowledged the team faces a "difficult" game against the Brazilians.
"What I know about Brazil is that it has some of the world's most famous players," he told reporters. But "our players are very skilled. They don't lag behind any player in the world."
The coach also sought to clarify the controversy surrounding striker Kim Myong Won, who was named in the final team list as a goalkeeper.
"At the beginning of his career, he was indeed a goalkeeper," he said. "He has a lot of speed and that's why he's a forward. But in this World Cup, he wanted to be a goalkeeper."
Brazil played only two warmup matches before the World Cup, beating Zimbabwe 3-0 and Tanzania 5-1. North Korea fell 3-1 to Nigeria, but held Greece 2-2 in its warmups.
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