Former champions Brazil take on Costa Rice in a crucial Group F match of Fifa World Cup 2018 in Nizhny Novgorod on Friday, June 22.

When is the match and how to watch it live on TV, online

The Group F tie will start at 3 pm local time, 5:30 pm IST and 1 pm BST.

Sony Ten 2, Sony Ten 3 and Sony ESPN will provide live television coverage of the match in India. The live stream will be available on Sony Liv.

Brazil vs Costa Rica - World Cup 2018 preview

Neymar
Will Neymar step up and deliver for Brazil on Friday?Reuters

Brazil are heading into the tie on the back of a disappointing 1-1 draw against Switzerland in their Group F opener. Philippe Coutinho's wonder strike put them in the lead but Tite's men lacked the decisive edge to get three full points in Rostov-On-Don.

Neymar's theatrics in a rusty show will be seen as a huge cause of concern. The Paris Saint-Germain superstar also picked up a knock during training earlier this week, leading to doubts over his availability for the Costa Rica match.

However, Tite is confident that Neymar will start today. The former Barcelona star needs to find form soon as Brazil need nothing less than a win to keep their hopes of topping the group alive.

With the big boys in Russia facing difficulties, Brazil will be hoping to clinch three points in St. Petersburg and relieve themselves off pressure.

It will be interesting to see if Tite opts for Roberto Firmino ahead of Gabriel Jesus, who blew hot and cold against Switzerland.

Costa Rica's special plans for Neymar

On the other hand, Costa Rica were piped 1-0 by Serbia in their opening match of the ongoing tournament. The Central American nation, who had exceeded expectations and reached the quarter-final in Brazil, cannot afford a defeat if they are to keep their qualification hopes alive.

Coach Oscar Ramirez revealed his starting line-up on the eve of the match and warned Neymar that his team would be looking to crowd him out on Friday.

"Neymar is a very skilled player and it's true that people have tried to stop him a little aggressively. We have our own strategy and we will see what happens. Maybe we will cover him by two men," Ramirez told the press on Thursday.

"But of course we don't want to see any sort of offences against him or any unfair attacks against him. The players know what to do."

Brazil vs Costa Rica - Group F live stream and TV listings

Fifa World Cup 2018 Global TV listings and live stream

  1. UK: ITV, Live stream: The ITV Hub
  2. US: Fox Sports, fubo TV; Live stream: Fox Sports GO
  3. Argentina: TyC Sports, DIRECTV Sports; Live stream: DIRECTV Play
  4. Australia: Optus Sport, SBS
  5. Bangladesh: PTV Sports, Sony ESPN
  6. Brazil: SporTV, Globo, Fox Sports 1 Brasil
  7. France: TF1, beIN Sports 1; Live stream: beIN Sports Connect