On Wednesday, the entire pressure will be on the visitors to deliver…

Before the qualification campaign resumed last week, Chile were on a high and seating second in South America’s ten-team table.

However, after being held 2-2 at home by Venezuela, the Chileans suddenly find themselves between assurance and anxiety.

Whereas countries like Colombia and Argentina are aiming to push their way forward for automatic qualification, Paraguay are looking to distance themselves from the fifth or even the third place as much as possible.

How can Chile surmount all the pressure and book their tickets for the finals in South Africa?

Expectations for both Brazil and Chile

The atmosphere in Pituaçu is expected to be ruled by chants, music, and shouts from an over-excited Brazilian crowd who will be praising the heroes of last Saturday’s Super Clasico.

Meanwhile, Dunga will hope to lead his team to another victory despite the unimportance of the result since Brazil have already qualified to South Africa 2010.
A win for Dunga’s Brazilians will not only prove to people that their good results are no fluke; it will also help the squad to keep the good spirit that currently seems to reign in the camp and on the field of play.

One man who would have loved to create history is Real Madrid’s star midfielder, Ricardo Kaka. The 27-year-old playmaker could equal Zico and Romario’s records if he scores at least a goal more in the qualifiers. Kaka is currently stuck on 11 goals for his country overall in the two World Cup qualification campaign where he featured in his career.

However, like Lucio, Luis Fabiano, and Ramires, Kaka will not be eligible to play against Chile due to suspension.

So adding to Luis Fabiano’s absence upfront will be Robinho. The forward injured his thigh and should not feature this week. Instead, Adriano and Nilmar are expected to be given important roles against La Roja.

For Chile, the focus will be on nothing else but clinching the maximum points to seal their place into the finals of the World Cup for the first time since 1998. With only three games left in the qualifiers, every single match day is a thriller.

The Chileans will need prove that they can handle pressure at its highest level as Brazil will benefit from extreme home support.

Chile may keep their usual style of play. What they’ll need to improve is their strength in defense.
After studying Brazil’s 3-1 victory over Argentina on Saturday, Chile’s coach Marcelo Bielsa might consider changing his tactics at the back.

The curiosity here lies on how the Chileans will organize in midfield to prevent the Brazilians from catching them on the counter.