Brazil coach Dunga has rated Neymar as a better player now than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the two best players in the world since 2008.
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Can Neymar Jr. and his country’s national team silence critics when Brazil takes on worldwide rival Argentina in today’s World Cup 2018 qualifiers’ game?
However, Dunga was quick to deny that Brazil would be favourites against Argentina on November 12, even though they will be without Messi, Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez.
Matters are not a great deal better in Brazil, although Dunga’s side did record a victory against Venezuela, to find themselves two points better off than Argentina and welcome back captain Neymar from suspension for the trip to Buenos Aires. Defeat for Argentina would leave them with a huge mountain to climb to reach Russian Federation 2018.
Martino hinted however that Argentina could adopt a cagey approach as they aim to secure their first win of the qualifying campaign after taking only one point from their opening two games.
Sebastiao Lazaroni knows a fair bit about polishing rare pearls, the current Brazil coach and high-stakes showdowns with Argentina.
Brazil are said to begin the match with Bayern Munich winger Douglas Costa alongside Neymar in attack, prioritizing transitional speed ahead of possession, reported Xinhua news agency.
Argentina are without the services of Lionel Messi who is still recovering from a torn ligament. Messi and Aguero didn’t make the roster, while Tevez is expected to miss with a leg injury despite being being called up.
Since Messi suffered a knee injury in late September, Neymar has stepped up as Barca’s talisman in the Argentinian’s absence, scoring nine goals in eight games across all competitions.
Brazil ranks No. 8 in the world, and they won their last game against Venezuela, 3-1.
“They will have players out injured but it is still Argentina”, he said.
“Neymar could become the greatest player in the world”.
“Neymar is a great player and a friend, and I hope he continues having success and that everything goes well”.
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“It’s very nice to see how he grows each passing year, more and more experience, more maturity, that’s the beauty of football”.
