Thursday November 11, 2021
Exciting World Cup qualification in South America
Messi’s condition raises concerns about the coronation
With a win against Colombia, the Brazilian national soccer team can qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. An ex-Bayern professional travels from there to prevent that from happening. Argentina is also on track, but the appointment and arrival of Lionel Messi is causing unrest.
An exuberant Neymar fooling around in Brazil with a Batman hairstyle, an annoyed Luis Suarez protects Uruguay’s coaching maestro and Paris St. Germain worries about the injured Argentine star Lionel Messi: The upcoming duels of the big three in South America’s World Cup qualification testify on the one hand from a displayed exuberance, on the other hand they also contain Zoff potential.
A Brazil without a defeat can buy its ticket to the desert World Cup with a win against Colombia as South America’s first on Thursday. Neymar arrived in style as a superhero with a black Batman drawing on short-cropped, blonde-dyed hair. A month ago, the cafeteros were the only team in the Selecao Eliminatorias to wrest a draw. In São Paulo, the focus is on two returnees. After three knee operations in nine months, the ex-Munich-born Philippe Coutinho, number four in the list of the most frequently called players by national coach Tite, attacks again for Brazil.
Among the guests, a year after his cold break, James, Coutinho’s predecessor at Bayern, is again a professional. Even if the former jewel in the World Cup country Qatar has gone into hiding at Al-Rayyan SC. Apart from the personal details, the five-time world champion is only interested in a victory with which the table leader would jump to 34 points and then would not be able to be pushed out of the top four on the five remaining game days.
Suarez and Messi only think of themselves
The World Cup ticket bought because Colombia is currently fourth in a Brazilian win with 16 points. For Ecuador (17) against bottom light Venezuela (7), Paraguay (12) with his new coach Guillermo Schelotto in the pursuit duel against Chile (13) or Peru (11) against Bolivia (12) there is hope on Thursday in the shadow of the top game true.
The culmination of the 13th Eliminatorias round will then take place on Friday in the eternal duel between Uruguay and Argentina. In Montevideo, the Barcelona friends Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi celebrate a reunion, and yet each only thinks of themselves.
At the Urus, coach icon Oscar Tabarez is about to be shot down after 15 years. “We have to remember what the maestro gave us,” warned Suarez. The Atletico Madrid striker, who as a record scorer with 65 goals in 126 international matches only worked under the 74-year-old, drove with Tabarez to the last three World Cup tournaments.
“Against any agreement between clubs and FIFA”
Opponents Argentina have been unbeaten in 25 games. In addition, with his success at the Copa America, coach Lionel Scaloni recently broke the gauchos’ 28-year streak of title lean. And with 25 points as runner-up in the table, the starting position is also less dramatic than for the fifth-placed Uruguayans (16), who currently have to go to the continental playoffs again, just as they did before the World Cup tournaments between 2002 and 2010.
But the mood is also heated among the Argentines. Superstar Lionel Messi traveled to Madrid for a private medical check-up after a stopover with problems in his left knee. “This runs against any agreement between the clubs and FIFA,” said PSG manager Leonardo against the compulsory dismissal for the injured 34-year-old.
The Brazilian PSG official may already have the classic next Tuesday in mind. Four months after the final duel at the Copa America, two months after the five-minute scandalous game in São Paulo, his Selecao will meet the reigning South American champions again. The mood for this is heated.