BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- All the statistics might show that defending champions would be the side to lift the 2006 world cup, but the Brazilians know better that soccer is not the science.

    They are five-time winners, current world top-ranked squad and Confederation Cup holders. History or the recent performance would both justify their status to win the world title for a record sixth time.

    Not to mention the witchcraft of Ronaldinho, the predator instinct of Ronaldo, the sheer power of Adriano, the subtlety of Kaka and the colossal popularity of the team as a whole in Europe and elsewhere.

    Brazil are joined in Group F by Croatia, Australia and, most intriguingly, a Japan side coached by Selecao legend Zico.

    The group was immediately billed as a "battle for second place" on the assumption that Brazil would progress without breaking sweat. But this was not an attitude shared by Brazil's coach Carlos Alberto Parreira.

    "It's a group many will consider technically easy, but it won't be like that. We will need to be very alert," said Parreira, who was expected to repeat his achievement of steering Brazilians to an unexpected glory in the 1994 Cup.

    The 63-year-old believed that the sweet prophecy could turn out to be a demon.

    "I remember in 1982 (in Spain) we had a team which was just as good as the current side and we didn't even get to the last four," he said in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

    "The best teams don't always win. You only have to look at the Netherlands side that ought to have won the Cup in 1974."

    Brazil will play its first match against 1998 semifinalist Croatia, followed by games against Australia and Japan.