Brazil is already the first South American team to secure a direct spot in next year’s World Cup. Second-place Argentina is nearly there, too.
Anyone thinking Tuesday’s qualifying match between the teams will not be decisive hasn’t considered how much pride will be at stake in the region’s superclasico.
Copa America champion Argentina is determined to upstage Brazil and show Lionel Messi he has a decent shot next year of winning the only trophy missing in his career. Victory in front of home crowd could also mean, pending other results, securing qualification for Qatar 2022.
Brazil is aiming to complete the best South American qualifying campaign in history, although coach Tite is still expected to continue experimenting with his lineup with an eye on the World Cup.
Only 25,000 fans in San Juan, in Argentina’s northwest, will be at the stadium to watch the teams play a full game for the first time in this edition of World Cup qualifying.
The first encounter was stopped after seven minutes of play in September by Brazilian authorities enforcing protocols in place for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Brazil leads qualifiers with 34 points, six ahead of Argentina.
Both teams have completed 12 games, one fewer than the other eight teams inqualifying.