World Cup qualification: Brazil is threatened with system collapse in the Superclasico against Argentina – Selecao without Neymar – Eurosport

Strange defeats, unstable defense, aspiring short-term coach, lack of a miracle: Sounds like the German national soccer team, but is the reality in 2023 for an even more glorious World Cup record champion.

In the “Superclasico de las Americas” of all places, Brazil is fighting against the system crash against world champions Argentina on Wednesday night.

Without the injured superstars Neymar and Vinicius Junior, but with the fourth-youngest Selecao debutant (Endrick) as a future hope, the team, equipped with names that are not entirely familiar even on Sugarloaf Mountain, is bracing itself against another Eliminatorias defeat. Last week’s 2-1 defeat in Colombia was historic. The five-time world champion had never lost two qualifying games in a row.

And Pele’s descendants have never been behind Venezuela after five match days, the only South American not to have taken part in the World Cup. A defeat against the arch-rival in the football temple of Rio de Janeiro would be a new “Maracanazo” – like the final 1:2 at the home World Cup in 1950 against Uruguay. There is a risk of falling to seventh place in the group of ten, only the top six have a direct ticket to the next World Cup in 2026 in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

“We have a duty to get back up” – a statement that actually fits the Selecao, but came from Lionel Messi. Because the World Cup defending champions also received a blow in the neck with the 2-0 defeat at home against Uruguay.

And still faces a great opportunity: to inflict the historic first home defeat in a World Cup qualifier on their rivals.

“Against Brazil is always something special,” said the 36-year-old. After all, two years ago at the Maracana, the captain himself ended a 28-year title drought for the Gauchos with a 1-0 win in the Copa America final against the home team. And so he dealt with his trauma from the 2014 World Cup final, when he lost to Germany (0-1 nV) in the World Cup final at the same venue.

“Messi is a phenomenal guy. “Once again the best in the world this year,” Endrick praised the now eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, who fulfilled his lifelong dream at the World Cup in Qatar last December. There is still a long way to go until then for the SE Palmeiras striker, who played his first international match against Colombia at the age of 17 years and 118 days.

Real Madrid signed the talent at the end of 2022, but he will only be allowed to move to Los Blancos after his 18th birthday on July 21, 2024. Now he wants to take a closer look at the former Barcelona star Messi, whom he only knows from video games.

To reassure the Real fans, he quickly added: “But I’m a fan of Cristiano Ronaldo.”

Endrick is one of 19 debutants this year, more than in a post-World Cup year since 1998. An attempt to explain the lack of coordination, especially in the defense, which has already conceded six goals in five Eliminatorias games. One more than on the entire route to the World Cup in Qatar.

It’s easy to imagine that system error messages are now constantly popping up on association president Ednaldo Rodrigues’ monitor.

Interim coach Fernando Diniz is getting confused in his work-intensive concept. There are constant doubts about the arrival of Real Madrid’s title hamster Carlo Ancelotti as the preferred candidate in the summer.

The fact is: Since the last World Cup triumph in 2002, the Europeans have been destroying Brazil’s dream of the Hexa, the sixth World Cup title, with great regularity. With three wins from the last four duels, the Africans have also tasted blood. And now even the South American rivals are no longer in awe.

If Brazil loses the “Superclasico” on Tuesday, the Selecao’s annual balance would be negative for the first time since 1963. In itself unthinkable.