Hulk-a-mania!
- Saturday,
Team GB Double Header
Women v Sweden (4pm)
Men v Brazil (7.45pm)
Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough FC
Buy Online - click here
Ticket hotline 0844 499 1234
Live on BBC1
Brazil head to Great Britain next week intent on claiming their first ever Olympic Gold and according to Gareth Southgate, their team will be one of the strongest in the 16-nation competition.
Before they kick of their London 2012 challenge, the star-studded Samba boys line-up featuring the likes of Santos sensation Neymar and Porto's highly sought-after striker Hulk will face Stuart Pearce's Team GB at Southgate's old club Middlesbrough on Friday night.
The match forms part of both side's Olympic warm-ups and will be preceded at the Riverside by the Team GB Women's fixture against Sweden earlier in the afternoon. The FA's Head of Elite Development is looking forward to the chance to see the historic double-header, as well as cast another eye over 19-year-old forward Neymar.
"He's special," said Southgate. "I saw him play against Scotland at the Emirates when he scored the two goals and I've seen some brilliant goals he's scored back in Brazil.
"In years to come, we could be saying that we remember when he came across to Britain and we saw him at the Olympics - or at the Riverside. He could be up there with the Ronaldos and Ronaldinhos.
"There's speculation about him joining Barcelona, but Brazilian football is very strong on and off the pitch at present so a lot of their top players are staying there or going back there after playing abroad."
Southgate added: "Brazil are clearly taking this very seriously as the Olympics is not only the one major tournament they have never won, but they are preparing to host the next World Cup too.
"You only have to see the strength of their squad to know how much this means to them, with players like Neymar, Sandro, Lucas and Oscar all involved.
"Then, when you see the over-age players they have included (Hulk, Marcelo and Thiago Silva), it just makes them even stronger."
Tickets for the double-header are still available directly from Middlesbrough FC. Click here to book online or call the ticket hotline on 0844 499 1234
Brazil's Olympic squad for London 2012
Goalkeepers: Rafael Cabral (Santos), Neto (Fiorentina)
Defenders: Marcelo (Real Madrid), Rafael (Manchester United), Danilo (Porto), Alex Sandro (Porto), Thiago Silva (AC Milan), Juan (Inter Milan), Bruno Uvini (Sao Paulo)
Midfielders: Romulo (Vasco da Gama), Ganso (Santos), Oscar (Internacional), Sandro (Tottenham Hotspur), Lucas (Sao Paulo)
Forwards: Neymar (Santos), Alexandre Pato (AC Milan), Leandro Damiao (Internacional), Hulk (Porto).
The games will be the only chance for fans to see the men's and women's teams play before the Olympic football tournament begins five days later when Team GB women take on New Zealand at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff , with the men’s team kicking off their competition against Senegal at Old Trafford (KO 8pm) on Thursday 26 July.
