Tipped by Pele as one of the tournament favorites and boasting its best ever squad for a World Cup, Chile must handle soaring and previously unseen expectations ahead of the team’s opening match against big outsider Australia on Friday.
Spain and The Netherlands — the 2010 finalists — may be getting all the attention in Group B, but Chile’s impressive results over the past 18 months demand they are taken seriously. Not just as a group qualifier but as a team that can go far in the tournament.
If Chile manage to get three points from the first match, it would put pressure on a losing team in the Spain-Holland game later in group play.
Since December 2012, Chile has lost just two of 15 matches. They drew 2-2 with world champion Spain and beat England 2-0 at Wembley Stadium.
Chile and Australia drew goal-less the only time they have met at a World Cup, in 1974 when the Socceroos picked up their first ever point in the tournament.
There are injury concerns for Chile as Arturo Vidal, the powerhouse Juventus midfielder, is struggling to be fit as he recovers from right knee surgery last month. Alexis Sanchez, who scored 19 league goals last season for Barcelona, has been experiencing shoulder pain after last week’s friendly win over Northern Ireland.
The Australians have been in Brazil since May 28, long before any other foreign team and are pretty comfortable with the environment.
Australian coach Ange Postecoglou’s gameplan will be to centre around New York Red Bulls star Tim Cahill, the country’s all-time top scorer and chief goal threat — particularly using his great spring to meet crosses. Don’t expect Postecoglou to sit back and hope for a 0-0 either. He adopts just as attacking an approach as Sampaoli and with neither defence solid, there could be plenty of goals.
