Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer

Johannesburg – Brazil, the world’s most iconic soccer team, are set to begin their World Cup 2010 campaign against North Korea at Ellis Park here on Tuesday night … but conditions will barely be conducive to the ever-vibrant Samba.?

An icy blast has arrived in Gauteng, with rolling clouds accompanied by a numbing wind, and a 20:30 kick-off ought to only further enhance the rank underdogs’ chances of a surprise result.

The SA Weather Service predicts “mostly clear and frigid” circumstances, with the night-time temperature dropping to -4 degrees Celsius and a comfort level (if one can term it that) of -10 degrees Celsius.

That is pretty cold in anyone’s language, although the Koreans will find it rather less challenging than the Dunga-coached Brazilians and their colourful, rhythmical and most often lightly-dressed fans.

North Korea has long winters marked by bitterly cold and clear conditions, interspersed with snow storms off winds from Siberia, and temperatures can dip in Pyongyang, the capital, to -13 degrees Celsius.

Whether the Highveld elements will impact on the match remains to be seen, but those visiting Ellis Park will quickly be reminded, in compelling fashion, that this is the first winter World Cup since Argentina 1978.?

Certainly Brazil, five-time champions, will want to guard against any “banana peel” outcome against them, as their later group opponents are the Ivory Coast, at Soccer City, and then an enticing, particularly challenging finisher against Portugal in Durban.

Newspapers worldwide have predictably latched onto the North Koreans as a novelty, unorthodox presence at this tournament, given the fairly secretive nature of their society – the state allows “certain” World Cup matches to be screened domestically and reportedly barred coverage of arch-rivals South Korea’s 2-0 victory over Greece in Port Elizabeth.

They are at their first finals since 1966, when they famously beat juggernauts Italy to reach the quarter-finals.

The team captained by Russian-based striker Hong Yong-Jo qualified for this World Cup via a torturous process of 16 games in just over a year and a half, including two-legged ties against such minnows as Mongolia and Turkmenistan.

Despised weather conditions or not, most pundits see Brazil prevailing with a bit to spare.

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