SAO PAULO, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) — Five-time world champions Brazil will be wary not to relax when they meet Argentina in a FIFA World Cup qualifier, despite having already qualified for football’s showpiece event, defender Danilo said on Sunday.
Brazil secured a berth at next year’s tournament in Qatar when they defeated Colombia 1-0 in Sao Paulo on Thursday. The result means Tite’s men have 34 points from 12 games with a six-point lead over second-placed Argentina in the 10-team South American zone standings.
“Brazil-Argentina is always a great game, it has all the ingredients of a world classic, with exceptional players,” Juventus right-back Danilo told a news conference.
“There is no footballer who can play in this match who does not think about winning. Having already qualified is a positive thing because it will relieve the pressure on us, but it can also be a negative if we relax too much.”
Tuesday’s duel in the western Argentine city of San Juan comes barely two months after Brazil’s home qualifier against the Albiceleste was interrupted by local health officials because of Argentina’s alleged breaches of COVID-19 protocols.
World football governing body FIFA has yet to decide if the suspended match will be rescheduled.
“Tuesday will be another completely different game, as are all between Brazil and Argentina, and we are preparing for a very difficult match. We are going to try to win, no matter what,” Danilo added.
