What is at stake is not just the qualification for the World Cup. The team is practically qualified to go to Qatar next year. Brazil can also consolidate a historic campaign, never seen in the current form of the South American Qualifiers.
This Thursday (11), at 9:30 pm, the team led by Tite will host Colombia at the Neo Química Arena, in São Paulo. The match will be broadcast by Globo and SportTV.
So far, in 11 games, Brazil is unbeaten, with 10 wins and 1 draw. The 94% leverage, if maintained, will be the best in tournament history since the current all-round, round-trip format was adopted.
The selection can seal the classification in this round. If they beat Colombia, they’ll be guaranteed in Qatar if Uruguay, currently fifth, doesn’t defeat Argentina in Montevideo on Friday (12).
“The campaign is exceptional and is a source of great pride. Even when managers from other countries want to put us in adverse situations, the team knows how to react”, said defender Thiago Silva after the 0-0 draw against Colombia, in Barranquilla, performed in the afternoon in heat above 30 degrees last month.
It was the only game not won by Brazil in the current qualifiers.
According to the dispute system, the first four placed qualify for the World Cup. The fifth goes to the recap against continent selection yet to be determined.
With 31 points, Brazil leads the table starting the round with a 15 advantage over Uruguay.
In the history of the qualifiers, the current format was adopted for the World Cup in France, in 1998. Since then, no team has had the success shown by Tite’s team. Argentina led by Marcelo Bielsa came closest in the 2002 qualifiers. They scored 79.6%.
But in the tournament, played in South Korea and Japan, the alviceleste ended up eliminated in the group stage. Brazil only qualified in the last round of qualifying and was world champion.
Twice, Brazil did not participate in the Qualifiers. In 1998, for being the champion (rule that was abolished for the 2006 tournament) and in 2014, for having been chosen as the host country.
Before 1998, Conmebol divided its 10 teams into groups, within different classification formats. Between 1982 and 1990, for example, Brazil only needed to play four games to define its place, as it was in a group with three teams.
Never has a country, with the current formula, spent the entire campaign without losing, as the Brazilian team is trying to do now. After the confrontation this Thursday, there will be six games to go. Two of them, against Argentina. The first one next Tuesday (16), in San Juan. The other match still has no date or certainty of its realization, as it was the confrontation interrupted by Anvisa agents, on September 5, at Corinthians stadium. FIFA is still studying what to do.
With the classification close, Tite starts to think about other variables on the way to the Cup. Next month, he wants to go to Qatar to watch the matches of the Arab Cup, a preparatory event for the World Cup. Members of the technical committee also board to examine the stadium facilities and places that can be used by players.
The coach can also take advantage of the final matches, with a guaranteed spot, to test other players and formations, something that he confirmed could happen.
“The campaign allows us to open up the range of opportunities”, he defined.
Thinking about the historic unbeaten record and that the biggest risk to it could be the confrontation with Argentina, Brazil faces Colombia with eight players hanging with a yellow card. In the Qualifiers, two warnings cause automatic suspension: Casemiro, Eder Militão, Fabinho, Gabriel Jesus, Gerson, Lucas Paquetá, Marquinhos and Thiago Silva.
See below the round of the South American qualifiers
Quinta (11)
18h Ecuador x Venezuela
20h Paraguay x Chile
9.30 pm Brazil x Colombia
23h Peru x Bolivia
Friday (12)
20h Uruguay x Argentina
See the classification of the South American Qualifiers
1st Brazil – 31 points
2nd Argentina – 25
3rd Ecuador – 17
4th Colombia – 16
5th Uruguay – 16
6th Chile – 13
7th Bolivia – 12
8th Paraguay – 12
9º Peru – 11
10th Venezuela – 7
.
I have worked in the news industry for over 10 years. I have a vast amount of experience in covering health news. I am also an author at News Bulletin 247. I am highly experienced and knowledgeable in this field. I am a hard worker and always deliver quality work. I am a reliable source of information and always provide accurate information.
