In the latest in a series of Q&A's with their World Cup athletes, adidas spoke to Brazil midfielder Hernanes about taking part in home tournament, how he rates Brazil's chances, and what it's like playing his club football with so many Argentines!

Your home city of Recife is a host city for the World Cup – what kind of atmosphere should we expect there? 
They call it the Brazilian Venice, so anyone visiting Recife during the World Cup should be prepared for some culture and some fun. 

It is a beautiful coastal city and I was very lucky to grow up there.

I am looking forward to the World Cup showing off lots of aspects of Brazil that many people don’t know about or expect.

It isn’t all carnivals and beaches, although that side of things is there and we can’t say we don’t love it.

Are people in Recife as crazy about football as they are in the rest of the country?
Of course.

That is another assumption that people have about Brazil that we have to admit is completely true.

People in Recife love football, we have good clubs like Sport and Santa Cruz, and the fans in the area, my family and friends, couldn’t be more excited about World Cup games coming to town.

You played for many years in the Brazilian League, is that getting as strong as European football, and will that benefit the Selecao?
Yes, Brazilian domestic football is getting much stronger and more competitive, and that is good for our game.

More good young players are coming through, and while the best ones do still tend to come to Europe for the big deals, they now stay longer in the Brazilian game, and some never leave.

It’s good for the unity of our team, and for the Selecao it means players know each other’s games better.

It can only help us.

Do you think the home advantage will give Brazil the edge, or might the pressure get too much?
I can see both sides.

If you look at Germany in 2006, they almost wanted to win that thing too much.

You need to stay in control of your emotions as an athlete and a footballer, otherwise you can get carried away and lose your head.

We are all very excited that the World Cup is in Brazil, we are happy that the stadiums will be a sea of yellow, dancing Brazilians, and that our friends and family are in the stands.

But we need to stay professional and do our jobs, with full concentration.

If we do that, then home advantage can work for us and give us a better chance of winning.

Which sides do you think are most likely to upset the party? 
The other sides from South American are used to playing in Brazil, against Brazil, and they will be out to ruin our summer.

Argentina in particular would love to do that, and they can make it feel like a home tournament for themselves, with lots of fans coming over the border.

Colombia, Ecuador, Uruguay.

They will all be looking to shoot Brazil down.

Inter Milan is virtually a side of Argentines at the moment, how has that been as a Brazilian, and does it give you a chance to scout against the traditional enemy?
It is always lively in our dressing room.

We have four Brazilian players, and about ten Argentines!

You can imagine that there is a lot of talk about the World Cup.

We have got players like Javier Zanetti, Estaban Cambiasso, Hugo Campagnaro.

So nobody needs to tell me about the quality of Argentina’s players.

They always produce strong, technical footballers, and they will be very motivated to upset Brazil this summer.

They’d like to win it on our soil as much as we would.

It would be like a heist for them!

What about the country you play in, Italy? Have the Azzurri got what it takes to win a fifth World Cup and draw level with Brazil’s record of winning the tournament?
We hope not!

I respect Italy’s traditions in the World Cup very much.

They are a powerhouse of European football and always have a good chance.

The players I face in Serie A every week are so committed, so strong.

Italy is always a side that is defensively difficult to breach, from the goalkeeper through to the forwards, they fight for the ball, they press you, and they keep possession.

My Italian friends and colleagues from Inter have got a good chance.

What do you see as your job in the Brazil side?
I like to drive things forward, create chances and make things happen whenever I play.

Playing for Brazil is all about scoring goals and creating good chances, beautiful football, and our fans demand that we play in that way.

They want a Brazil that is technical and nice to watch, so I want to help supply that.

What is it like playing and training with Kaka?
Kaka is already a legend for Brazil, and we all know he was the best player in the world for many years.

He is still young, but has been so good for so long that it seems like he has been around forever.

He plays for the other team in Milan, AC, but we try not to mention that.

For me it is inspiring to be around a player as good as him.

He is such a team player and we can all learn from that.

He does what is best for his side.

The playmaking skills are there, the technique, the vision, the passing ability, and you cannot help but be inspired by that and learn from it.

You famously cried when leaving Lazio, a club you loved, for your new team Inter. Should we expect some tears this summer? 
I was emotional about that because I loved my time in Rome.

I am an emotional person and I don’t mind admitting it, so if we win a World Cup final this summer then I am sure there will be a tear or two.

And if we lost a World Cup final there might be as well, but I don’t want to think about that!