Preview
Brazil are gearing up for their third and final game of the current international break, a fixture which will see them go head-to-head with one of their fiercest rivals: Uruguay. These two continental giants will lock horns at the Arena da Amazônia 8:30 p.m. in what should be an interesting World Cup qualifier.
The Selecao, unfortunately, head into this tricky tie on the back of their first stalemate of the qualifying round. In fact, up until their most recent fixture, the five-time World Cup champions boasted a perfect record, winning their first nine outings while conceding only three goals.
Tite's defense have still only let in three goals as they drew 0-0 with Colombia over the weekend; however, that stainless run has now been brought to an end. Neymar and Co. dominated the ball in that goalless draw but were unable to muster much from it, and were thus denied the three points for the first time, leaving them with 28 out of a possible 30.
Brazil will not want to make it back-to-back disappoints by ending the international break with another draw, or even worse, their first defeat. However, despite that slip-up, the Selecao remain on track to win their group as they sit a healthy six points ahead of second-placed Argentina – Messi and Co. boast 22 points.
One reason for this is the fact that the majority of South America's national teams have been struggling. Besides Brazil, only Argentina have won more than half of their fixtures, with La Albiceleste picking up six triumphs out of 10 games. In fact, six out of the 10 competing nations have failed to win even a third of their qualifiers, with fifth-placed Colombia picking up a mere three victories from 11 ties.
Uruguay, who will be tasked with overcoming FIFA's second-highest ranked nation in the world, have also fallen victim to these inconsistencies. They head into this clash on the back of a disappointing 3-0 loss to Copa America champions Argentina, with in-form La Albiceleste goalkeeper Emi Martinez pulling off a few stunning saves to deny La Celeste from even finding the back of the net.
Oscar Tabarez's men have only won two out of their last five games across all competitions, and only two from their last eight qualifiers. Uruguay are in fourth with 16 points, level on points with third-placed Ecuador but behind due to goal difference. However, while they do occupy one of four automatic qualification tickets, this is mainly down to Colombia, Chile, and Peru struggling throughout the campaign.
Suarez and Co. are not safe and thus cannot relax for one bit as fifth-placed Colombia are only a point behind while sixth-placed Paraguay are only four adrift. Victory over Brazil will not be easy, but at the very least, we can expect La Celeste to test the World Cup favorites.
Team news
Brazil: Casemiro has picked up a back injury and will thus sit out this tie, which should not be costly as Tite has both Fred and Fabinho at his disposal. Eder Militao will miss this tie due to a similar issue, meaning Thiago Silva could return to the lineup.
Uruguay: Ronald Araujo was released by the international team after picking up a hamstring injury in the defeat to Argentina and has since returned to Barcelona. Similary, Jose Maria Gimenez is unavailable after heading back to Atletico for treatment after picking up an injury. Fortunately, Rodrigo Bentancur is back from suspension and available for selection.
Key stats
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The last time these two nations met, Brazil marched to a comfortable 2-0 win.
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Not only do the Selecao boast the best defense in the league, conceding only three goals so far, they also boast the best attack, having netted 22 times.
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La Celeste boast the worst attack and second-worst defense from the current top five teams in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying tournament.
Broadcast listings
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
