Brazilian star Ronaldinho (right) leads his team training session in Leverkusen on Tuesday. (Reuters)

Frankfurt: Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira is stressing the need for speed when his side starts their Confederations Cup campaign with a group B match against Greece in Leipzig on Thursday.

For World Player of the Year Ronaldinho, just generating some noise would be nice. “It’s been too quiet,” he said from the confines of the team’s secluded hotel near Cologne. I’ve never seen anywhere as quiet as this. We really need a big change.”

A 40,000 crowd will pack the Zentralstadion in Leipzig to give Ronaldinho his wish but the world champions are not expecting an easy night of it.

“We’re going to need more speed in our play if we’re going to beat Greece,” Parreira said as the team left for Leipzig. “They are very efficient in defence.”

Ronaldo is missing from the Brazilian squad, after the Real Madrid forward was given an extended holiday, but Adriano is back after scoring twice for Inter Milan in the first leg of the Italian Cup final against Roma.

Brazil lost 1-3 to Argentina in their last game, a result that means they need three points from their last three regional games to qualify for next year’s World Cup and Parreira is worried about his defence.

“We’ll need to be faster in the transition from attack to defence when we lose the ball. Greece will defend with all 11 players and they look to hit on the counter-attack.”

After their shock European championship victory last year, Greece have struggled in their World Cup qualifying European group II and have slipped to third place.

Greek striker Zisis Vryzas, however, will play with a cast covering his fractured left hand, a team spokesman said on Wednesday.

Vryzas, 31, suffered the injury in a relegation match for his Spanish side Celto Vigo on Sunday before flying to Germany with his hand in plaster.

He was not initially expected to be fit to play in the match but the Greek team’s medical staff developed a special cast to protect the hand which will require surgery later.

Greece captain Theodoros Zagorakis joined the squad on Monday after being released by his Italian club Bologna who face a relegation play-off battle. Greece, though, are missing defender Traianos Dellas, recovering from hernia surgery, and will also be without defender Mihalis Kapsis, who has a leg problem.

Teams

Brazil: Dida; Cicinho, Roque Junior, Juan, Leo/ Gilberto; Emerson, Ze Roberto, Kaka, Ronaldinho; Robinho, Adriano.

Greece: Antonis Nikopolidis; Yannis Goumas, Michalis Kapsis, Takis Fyssas, Yourkas Seit-aridis; Angelos Basinas, Stelios Giannakopoulos, Theodoros Zagorakis, Giorgios Karagounis; Fanis Gekkas, Angelos Haristeas.

Setback for Mexico

Meanwhile, Mexico will be forced to play without their captain Rafael Marquez in another group B match on Thursday against Japan.

The Barcelona defender is suffering from a groin injury and will not be available for Mexico’s first match against Japan in Hanover, according to German sport news agency SID. It is not clear whether Marquez will recover in time to play in subsequent matches.