London Olympics 2012: Neymar's Brazil Fight Mexico for Gold, Where to Watch Live

Brazil and Mexico will fight for their first Olympic football gold in the men's football final at London 2012. The Brazilians last qualified for the Olympic final at the Seoul 1988 Games, but lost 2-1 to the Soviet Union. The Olympic gold is the only title the national team has not yet won. The Mexicans, meanwhile, go into the match as underdogs, knowing that they have already won their country's first Olympic football medal.

Preview

The Brazilians are undoubtedly one of the world's most formidable national squads and are the in-form team at this Olympics. They have won all their games so far, scoring 15 goals in the process. Internacional striker Leandro Damiao is the tournament's top scorer, with six strikes.

The South Americans started in Group C with Belarus, Egypt and New Zealand for company and much of the youngsters' play was marked with a fluency that bodes well for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Santos' Neymar, touted as one of the best players in the world, Damiao and Chelsea new boy Oscar have linked up well, and with no injuries reported Brazil should be able to field their strongest line-up.

The Mexicans also boast an unbeaten run going into the final, and apart from a draw against South Korea in their opening game, have been in good form. Former Barcelona winger Giovani dos Santos leads the team's scoring charts with three goals. Unfortunately, dos Santos picked up an injury in the semi-final against Japan and has been ruled out of the final. This means the bulk of Mexico's attacking play must now go through Santos Laguna's Oribe Peralta, who has two strikes to his name.

Tactics

We are likely to see a few goals in this game. Neither side is known for playing defensively, and both have been prolific in front of goal all through the tournament.

Mexico could have a slight edge in defence, having conceded fewer goals than their opponents - three to Brazil's five. However, they will be worried that those three came in the last two games - two against Senegal and one against Japan. With Neymar and co. in confident goal-scoring mood, the Mexican defence could have a difficult evening. Worse still for the Mexicans is the fact that the Brazilian defence seems to be getting better. They conceded three in the group stages but only two since, and they blanked South Korea in the semi-final.

Brazil coach Mano Menezes will be pleased dos Santos is unavailable but Peralta, Jorge Enriquez and Raul Jimenez could all ask questions of his side's defence. However, with the likes of Paris St Germain's (PSG) Thiago Silva, Real Madrid's Marcelo and Manchester United's Rafael in his squad, he must remain confident of a win. He also has the talents of FC Porto's Hulk, AC Milan's Alexandre Pato, PSG's Lucas Moura and Santos' Ganso at his disposal.

Players to Watch

NeymarThe 20-year-old Santos forward is one of the most sought after youngsters in world football, with every major club in Europe scrambling for his signature. His vision and movement off the ball could be crucial in unlocking the Mexican defence, and he has shown a good understanding with Damiao and Oscar.

Oribe Peralta With dos Santos not playing, 28-year-old Peralta will have to use his experience to guide his younger team-mates. Brazil are likely to have most of the possession and attacking chances. The few that do come Mexico's way will need to be snapped up.

Probable Line-Ups

Brazil: Gabriel; Rafael, Thiago Silva, Juan Jesus, Marcelo; Sandro, Lucas Moura, Oscar; Neymar, Damiao, Hulk

Mexico: Corona; Israel Jimenez, Reyes, Mier, Chavez; Fabian, Aquino, Enriquez, Salcido; Peralta, Raul Jimenez

Where to Watch

You can follow all the action live from 3pm BST. The Olympics will be covered live by BBC One and BBC One HD, as well as BBC Three, BBC HD, Sky 3D and EuroSport. You can also follow all the action live, via text updates, on the official Web site for the 2012 London Olympics and also via a special BBC video player.