Brazil-Mexico Olympic semi-final schedule and Preview: Richarlison and Dani Alves vs. El Tri

It's the reigning champs vs. the previous champs as Brazil and Mexico face off in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic football semi-final - a repeat of the London 2012 final.

Memories of Mexico's London 2012 gold medal triumph when Gio dos Santos and Peralta led el tricolor to glory still live on, and Brazil's home victory at Rio 2016 with Neymar scoring the winning pen is now part of Olympic lore too.

Captained by a 38-year-old Dani Alves who was a viral Olympic star before he even touched down in Tokyo, he's been leading by example on the pitch too.

Richarlison had to fight his way to Tokyo, eventually convincing his Premier League club Everton and new gaffer Rafa Benitez that they weren't going to stop him.

And it was a good thing he did too for Brazil, he's scored five goals in three games including an opening match hattrick against Germany, a brace against Saudi Arabia, and an assist in a 1-0 victory over an obdurate Egypt in the quarter finals.

Richarlison has bounced back from Copa America heartbreak to become the canarinho's undisputed No.10 in Tokyo and set rumours off that he might be joining Ancelotti at Real Madrid.

But while Brazil dominate the headlines as they often do, Mexico have been thrilling their way through their Olympic journey scoring 14 goals in four games.

El Tri has impressed and rather than relying on one big star they have shown themselves to be a versatile team with multiple threats, when they defeated Korea 6-3 in the quarter-final, four different goal scorers stepped up.

Two open, attacking sides popping with hungry goal-getters should give us something to remember in Kashima on Tuesday.

Brazil-Mexico: Road to the Olympic final

Brazil's fire-starters ignite early

4-2 v Germany, 0-0 against the Côte d'Ivoire, 3-1 v Saudi Arabia in the group stage and a 1-0 victory over Egypt in the quarters has taken the Seleção to the semi-finals.

Richarlison's hattrick against the Germans was the perfect start, and another two against Saudi Arabia has seen him spearhead this impressive Brazilian challenge.

A red card against the Côte d'Ivoire meant it was backs-to-the-wall stuff against Eric Bailly's Ivory Coast with Dani Alves steadying the ship at the back, and a 0-0 was not a terrible result.

In the quarter-final Matheus Cunha's moment came and he claimed the winning goal against Egypt, ably assisted by Richarlison.

Brazil are riding a wave of confidence into this semi-final and are determined to erase the memory of losing to Messi's Argentina in the Copa America final with gold here in Tokyo.

But underestimate Mexico at your peril.

El Tri have been scoring goals for fun, as an opening statement they banged in four goals in against France to win 4-1, then lost 2-1 to Japan and finished with a 3-0 victory over South Africa to claim second place in the group behind the hosts.

A nine-goal thriller in the quarter-final against South Korea means they have scored 14 goals in four games and will want to keep the tap open against Brazil.

We could be in for another high-scoring Olympic classic on Tuesday.

Brazil: Players to watch in the Tokyo 2020 semi-final

Brazil is stacked with young guns worthy of wearing the historic Canary-yellow and they have been proving they belong in the national side at Tokyo 2020.

Impressive all over the pitch, they have scored eight goals in four games while only conceding three.

Richarlison may have grabbed the headlines but his strike partner Cunha has also caught the eye, the Hertha Berlin man is a great ball carrier, quick-footed, two-footed and versatile, holds up the ball well and is comfortable with his back to goal.

He scored the quarter-final winner and is making a strong case to join the senior side alongside Richarlison and Neymar.

Dani Alves has impressed with his consistency at the back and look out for Ajax man Antony in the middle of the park, the 21-year-old has been a threat from midfield, recording 32 touches and 27 completed passes in the final third against Egypt.

Mexico players to watch at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Mexico as a unit have been impressive and the way they vary the attack and threaten from different positions keeps their opponents guessing.

Six goals from four different scorers against South Korea was the perfect example.

Across the competition midfielder Luis Romo and striker Henry Martin lead the way with three goals each while Sebastian Cordova grabbed a couple against South Korea and striker Alexis Vega has two from the group stage.

Then Carlos Rodriguez, Uriel Antuna, Roberto Alvarado, and Eduardo Aguirre have all chipped in with one.

Mexican goals could come from literally anywhere against Brazil.

In goal for los mejicanos you'll find a familiar face in Guillermo Ochoa, he's a cult hero in Mexico having played at four World Cups and also at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

A spectacular shot-stopper, Ochoa could have a big part to play against the brasileiros, particularly if we go all the way to penalties.

Brazil-Mexico Olympic semi-final Schedule and where to watch

What time is the Japan-Spain football semi-final?

Mexico-Brazil Tuesday 3 August 5pm JST in the Ibaraki Kashima Stadium (5pm in Brasilia, 3am in Mexico City)

Where to watch Brazil-Mexico on TV and live streaming

The Olympics are broadcast all over the world on national TV carriers and their live streaming websites.

You can watch the Olympic football semi-finals on Globo and Globoplay in Brazil and on Mexico's Claro Sports, Canal 5 and Azteca 7 and on their corresponding live-streaming sites.

Can't be in front of the TV? No worries, you can follow the football semi-finals and get live updates of all other events from the Games on the official Tokyo 2020 Olympics live blog.