Brazil will look to secure a ticket to the next round after the second group match in which they will take on Olympian debutant New Zealand.

Brazil, who are desperate to end their Olympic gold medal drought, beat nine-man Belgium in their group opener and top the group ranking with a lot of difficulty.

The Brazilians blamed the heat, humidity, and a late start of preparation for their mediocre performance in the game.

"The first match is always difficult," said coach Dunga. "The other teams prepared for maybe two years but we only have 15 days to prepare."

At the sidelines of a training session on Saturday, Dunga revealed that Thiago Silva, the mainstay in Brazil's back who missed the first match due to injuries, will play in the match against New Zealand.

However, Thiago Silva hasn't played any games for 80 days and there is a question mark on whether he can recover his form immediately.

The Brazilian's luxury roster already features midfielder Diego of Werder Bremen, attacker Alexandre Pato of AC Milan, and two-time World Player of the Year Ronaldinho, who recently transferred from Barcelona to AC Milan.

Diego and Rafinha of Schalke 04, who are at the center of disputes on whether they can play in the Olympics, will continue to assist the team's quest for gold despite a Court of Arbitration for Sports'unfavorable ruling.

New Zealand defense pillar Steven Old, who plays in the Australian A-League, was sent off after receiving his second yellow card because of a hand ball in the first match, in which they drew with host China.

New Zealand's "Oly-Whites" have never qualified for the men's Olympic tournament before but they became the confident qualifier of Oceania with Australia now competing in the Asian confederation.

Brazil have won the FIFA World Cup a record five times but have come up short at the Olympics, finishing with a silver medal in the 1984 and 1988 Games, and bronze in 1996. After failing to qualify in 2004 Athens Games, coach Dunga's side is determined to bring it home from Beijing.

(Xinhua News Agency August 9, 2008)