By Samindra Kunti
March 23 – South American giants Brazil and Uruguay face different obstacles in their crunch World Cup qualifiers as they seek to qualify for the 2018 Russia World Cup.
Brazil will take a giant step to ensure progress with a result away to Uruguay. Brazil and the World Cup are synonymous. The Brazilians have participated in every single World Cup since 1930. With six rounds to go in the marathon format of South American qualifiers, the maths is simple: Brazil have 27 points and in the past 28 points have always sufficed to qualify for the quadrennial high mass of the beautiful game.
New coach Tite, the successor of the much-maligned Carlos Dunga, has galvanized the Seleção. Brazil top the group and have played a more expansive brand of football. Last September Tite promoted Gabriel Jesus to the senior squad and he quickly became the new boy wonder of the team. The former Corinthians coach has proven to be a King Midas.
But at the imposing Estadio Centenario, rich in history and always hostile to visitors, in Montevideo, Brazil face their toughest test yet – for two reasons. Firstly, the Brazilians will be without Jesus, whose meteoric rise at his Manchester City has been thwarted by that metatarsal injury. The hosts are without Luis Suarez, but Paris Saint-Germain’s Edison Cavani will not mind stepping in to play in his favorite role as an out-and-out centre-forward. Brazil don’t have the human resources to replace Jesus outright. Roberto Firmino from Liverpool will play alongside Neymar, but that partnership may not be so lethal.
Secondly, the true test of any side is going a goal behind. How does Brazil react to conceding first? Brazil hasn’t trailed under Tite. Remember what happened in Port Elizabeth when Brazil fell behind to Arjen Robben’s goal in the 2010 World Cup? Dunga nearly smashed the dug-out and he transmitted his own emotional collapse to his players. If Uruguay take the lead, Brazil’s response should be fascinating viewing.
Argentina’s banana skin
Argentina find themselves in hot water. It’s not time yet to hit the panic button, but anything but a win would be disastrous. The Argentineans face a giant banana skin in the final stretch of their qualifying campaign, with games at altitude in Bolivia and Ecuador respectively, and away to Uruguay on the fixture list.
They lie in World Cup qualifying, in the play-off spot, with Chile within a point. Last June Chile won the Copa Centenario on penalties against Argentina. The game was to be Lionel Messi’s coronation as the greatest Argentine player in history, an uber-Maradona, rightfully in the pantheon of the soccer gods, leaving a profound legacy to the Albiceleste and generations to come. Instead, it was all a painful déjà-vu for Argentina as Messi scooped his ball high into the New Jersey night from the penalty spot.
This match is, however, not a pent-up grudge game. It’s 90 minutes that will go a long way in deciding the future fortunes of both teams. New Argentinean coach Edgardo Bauza has won two, drawn two and lost two since replacing Gerardo Martino. Argentina plays with discipline, but talisman Lionel Messi, almost at the end of his club season, may still be feeling the effects of Barcelona’s match with Valencia last Sunday and the subsequent transatlantic hike.
Chile has struggled ever since Jorge Sampaoli’s departure for Sevilla, but a win last November against Uruguay has given the Chileans some breathing space. Whoever falters in Buenos Aires will be in the pressure seat again.
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