Emerson (right) - set to miss out (Allsport)

By PA Sport Staff

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Brazil enter the World Cup arena in the unfamiliar position of needing to prove their famous powers are not on the wane.

An unprecedented struggle in their South American qualifying group raised question marks which the Brazilians need to answer against Turkey in the southern Korean city of Ulsan.

At least they have Ronaldo back, after a horrendous run of injuries which almost stretch back to the 1998 final, which they lost 3-0 to France.

Whether he still has the phenomenal pace and power of old remains to seen, but Ronaldo himself believes Brazil are in better shape now than they have been for a long time.

"We are in a great condition now and everything seems to be in place," said the Inter Milan striker.

"We have done a lot on research on the Turkish team and we know they are particularly strong in defence but I feel very confident that we can have a winning start.

"I believe we have the capability to once again go all the way to the final, and it should be a fantastic game."

Brazil did suffer a serious blow when their captain Emerson - the Roma midfielder, not the former Middlesbrough player of the same name - injured his shoulder playing in goal during a training session on Sunday afternoon.

Rivaldo, who missed the end of the season for Barcelona but has recovered in time for the game, explained what happened.

"I shot on goal and because he's not a goalkeeper he didn't know how to fall, that's why he injured his shoulder."

One former Middlesbrough player who is likely to start is Juninho, who is looking for a return to the Premiership.

He said: "I am still under contract at Atletico Madrid until July but I have the option of a another year there.

"But I want to go back to the Premier League - that is where my heart is."

Turkey are returning to the World Cup finals after a 48-year absence; they played in the 1954 tournament in Switzerland where they lost two games before routing South Korea 7-0.

Now the Turks are playing in Korea, and their first match could hardly be more challenging.

However, coach Senol Gunes is in charge of a side who have seen huge improvements since they qualified for Euro 96, and then Euro 2000.

Gunes said: "Our wait for 48 years comes to an end tomorrow but it is no fluke that we have qualified - we deserve to be here.

"We know Brazil's style and strength and we know our own strength. But we are not looking looking at the game as our 'final' - we want to compete and qualify for the second round.

"Our very presence here means something and we aim to succeed."

At club level, Turkish sides have become a major force and Galatasaray won the UEFA Cup two seasons ago, beating Arsenal in the final.

Turkey have 10 players in the squad who play for foreign European sides, and Gunes believes that is both a bonus and a problem.

He said: "We are very fortunate to have players such as (Parma's) Hakan Sukur, but with 11 players based abroad there are disadvantages such as having a limited time to play together and things not gelling.

"You could see that with France v Senegal. France may have had good skills and broad foreign experience but they had difficulty playing as a team."

Turkey's one injury worry is their Inter Milan midfielder Okan Buruk, who will be given a fitness test on a thigh strain before the game. If he is absent, it will increase the chances of Leicester's Muzzy Izzet making the starting line-up.