Brazil rested Neymar for the Copa America Centenario, named a strong team for Rio 2016, with their talisman as the captain, to get to this match – the final of the men's football tournament, where a win will give them a gold medal in the Olympics for the first time.
History is what beckons Brazil at the Maracana, against a side that handed them probably their most embarrassing defeat of all-time. The last time Brazil and Germany met in a major tournament setting, it turned out to be an absolute nightmare for the former, with the European side going on to win the match 7-1, in the semifinal of the 2014 World Cup.
Get the final score of Brazil vs Germany HERE
While this is a completely different setting, a completely different tournament – the Olympic football event is an U-23 one, with three overage players allowed – that loss will still be in the back of Brazil's minds when they step out to face off against Germany.
The good thing, though, is that neither team have too many players from that unforgettable match, with only Matthias Ginter a part of both Germany's 2014 World Cup-winning squad and this team in the Olympics, while Neymar was ruled out through injury.
There are no such concerns for Brazil's main man for this gold medal match, and if he fires in all cylinders, like he has in the hosts' last two matches, Germany will find it difficult to come out on top.
The Germans, though, will also know all the pressure to win the final will be on Brazil, and that might just free them to express themselves and find their attacking range, much like they have for the bulk of this tournament. The likes of Serge Gnabry and Julian Brandt have had great tournaments and they youngsters will back themselves to make their mark one more time.
"It's a dream come true to play in such a traditional and well-known stadium," Brandt, who has seven assists at the Rio Olympics told FIFA's official website. "Repeating the scenario of 2014 is also pushing the team forwards. The pressure is not really on us, the pressure is more on the home team."
While Brazil looked like being unable to handle that pressure in the first two matches of the men's football tournament of Rio 2016, the results from the Denmark win have been outstanding. After defeating the Danes 4-0 in a match they needed to win, Brazil got the better of Colombia 2-0 in the quarterfinal and then Honduras 6-0 in the last four.
That 6-0 thumping was quite impressive, with Neymar finding the back of the net twice, while Gabriel Jesus showed shy he is so highly-rated with a brace as well. With Gabriel Barbosa and Luan also playing splendidly, Brazil's front four is in prime form and ready to avenge that galling loss.
Where to Watch Live
Brazil vs Germany -- men's football gold medal match -- is set to begin at 5.30 p.m. local time (2 a.m. IST next day). Live Streaming and TV information for the final is below.
India: Star Sports. Live Streaming: Hotstar.
Brazil: TV: Fox Sports 1, SporTV, Globo and ESPN. Live Streaming: ESPN Play Latin America.
Germany: TV: SRF Swei and ARD.
UK: TV: BBC. Live Streaming: BBC iPlayer.
USA: TV: NBCSN. Live Streaming: NBC Sports Live Extra and NBC Olympics.
Middle East and North Africa: TV: Bein Sports Arabia. Live Streaming: Bein Sports Connect.
