WORLD CUP 2002/Semi-final preview - Brazil v Turkey: After a tournament in which they have watched almost all of the other big names tumble out in turmoil, the Brazilians were calmly preparing yesterday to follow the lead given by Germany in Seoul and restore a little order to what has been a wonderfully unpredictable World Cup.

The Turks have their own ideas on the subject, of course, and when Senol Gunes asked journalists the other day whether the idea of a South Korea versus Turkey final was really so unthinkable after all that has happened during the past three weeks, they were obliged to admit that it was not.

But after the defeat of the hosts by Germany the prospect of two teams that have each appeared in the final six times at last meeting in one will quietly please those who believe that even a world that loves an underdog can end up having too much of a good thing.

The Brazilians go into the game without Ronaldinho, the suspended Paris St Germain star who has played as big a part in getting the South Americans to this stage of the competition as his more celebrated team-mates Ronaldo and Rivaldo.

But Felipe Scolari looks set to name an otherwise unchanged side from the one that overwhelmed England with their fluent attacking game last Friday, with Ronaldo and goalkeeper Marcos both having established their fitness at yesterday's last training session before the game.

During the session's practice game Edilson rather than Juninho filled in for Ronaldinho in the first team's attack, so it seems the former Middlesbrough player will again have to settle for a place on the bench after initially establishing himself as one of Scolari's starters at this tournament.

Which ever of the pair starts, the Turks are likely to have their hands full against a side that has scored 15 goals in five games so far - two of them in the hard-fought earlier meeting between these sides - and which against the English showed much greater discipline at the back than had previously been the case.

Having successfully come from behind in that game, the Brazilians are finding it hard to resist the idea that they are simply destined to win their fifth world title on Sunday, although Rivaldo went close enough to embracing it yesterday when he suggested the team are bound to be regarded as front runners given their pedigree at this level.

"We respect Turkey," he said, "but Brazilian tradition demands that we are favourites. That means that we have a big responsibility, but we can handle it and we are ready to win."

And so they surely will today, unless the Turks can dramatically improve the rate at which they convert their chances. Against Senegal on Saturday they squandered a seemingly endless number of opportunities, and they can not afford to be as wasteful this time if they are to stand any chance of beating a vastly superior side to the one eventually seen off in extra-time at the weekend.

As he weighs up his side's various strengths and weaknesses, the only real decision facing Gunes is whether to persist with Hakan Sukur up front or look instead to Saturday's goalscorer, Ilhan Mansiz, to partner Hasan Sas in attack.

The general view is that ditching the vastly experienced Parma striker for the biggest game in the country's history is too big a gamble for the 50 year-old coach, who has a reputation for erring on the side of caution.

Sukur, though, has become a major problem for the Turks at these finals, failing to either score or contribute much to the team's attacking play in the games so far. Gunes has been quick to put at least part of his player's problem down to an abdominal muscle strain which he is said to have been battling with for the past few weeks.

But after the Senegal game Sukur himself was less diplomatic, blaming the team's midfield for the inadequate supply they provided him with, despite his repeatedly abysmal finishing during the 67 minutes that Gunes left him on the pitch.

"They play to show off and draw attention to themselves," said the striker after the game. "How am I supposed to receive passes under such conditions?"

Comments like those, combined with Sukur's general attitude behind the scenes, have made him deeply unpopular with his team-mates, but dropping him remains a big step to take.

While giving nothing away, Gunes hardly sounds intimidated by the task facing his side today, with the coach observing coolly: "We will settle old scores with Brazil. We will beat them and win the cup because that is what the Turkish nation has charged us with doing."

And he isn't kidding. Back at home the country has been gripped by a wave of excitement that falls just short of what has been seen in Korea over the past couple of weeks. The difference being that the levels of expectation are now far higher than was ever the case for the co-hosts.

On Monday, the Turkish deputy Prime Minister, Mesut Yilmaz, somewhat casually announced that the team would not be returning without winning the World Cup which, the players may have felt, is easy for him to say.

Still, their record against Germany in the qualifying campaign for Euro 2000, when they beat their bitter rivals at home and then drew with them away, suggests they will not be overawed if they continue their amazing run all the way to Sunday's final in Yokohama.

Scolari's men look well enough equipped, though, to bring Turkey back down to earth today, particularly in attack where the Brazilian stars should thrive even if the likes of Bulent Korkmaz and Fatih Akyel once again adopt an uncompromising approach to keeping them in check.

A Brazilian win might, in the end, mean the romance has finally disappeared from this tournament, but then Brazil against Germany for the trophy does still has a certain ring to it.