Sport
SOUTH AMERICAN QUALIFYING
International breaks are generally seen as something of an inconvenience for football fans in many of Europe’s major nations, an unwelcome disruption to the bread-and-butter business that is their own domestic top-flight competition.
It is a different story in South America, home to the most competitive World Cup qualifying process on the planet. International breaks provide a chance for many of the 10 countries’ stars to return home from Europe, where the economic reality of the modern game dictates they ply their trade at club level. The qualification format also lends itself to excitement: there is just a single group featuring every South American nation, with teams playing each other home and away across a two- year period.
The next set of games take place in Quito, Montevideo, Asuncion, Natal and Lima on Thursday, before another round of matches next Tuesday. South American sides’ bid to reach the 2018 World Cup will therefore pass the midway point in the current international break, with nine of the 10 nations still in contention for an automatic qualification spot (the top four will advance straight to Russia, while the fifth-placed team will face the country that finishes top of the Oceania section, likely New Zealand).
Venezuela, bottom of the table with just two points to their name, are realistically out of the picture. Above them on seven points, Peru and Bolivia have their work cut out to climb into the top four, while Chile, Paraguay and Ecuador are closer but also outside. Uruguay currently lead the way with 16 points, but Brazil, Argentina and Colombia are all within just a single victory of overtaking or drawing level with them.
Oscar Tabarez’s charges have won five and drawn one of their eight matches so far, and a home tie against Venezuela this week provides them with an excellent opportunity to either maintain or extend their lead at the summit. Brazil, now managed by Tite following the dismissal of Dunga earlier this year – the Selecao’s elimination in the group stage of the Copa America Centenario was the final straw for the former World Cup winning captain – should also be able to pick up maximum points at home to Bolivia.
Argentina will be unable to call upon the services of Lionel Messi against Peru; the Barcelona forward may have reversed his decision to retire from the international game following the aforementioned Copa in June, but an injury sustained in a recent clash with Atletico Madrid means he will play no part in his country’s next two fixtures. Argentina should still have more than enough quality to defeat the Peruvians, although they should be mindful that Ricardo Gareca’s men have only lost one of their four qualifiers at home in the current campaign.
Chile may have triumphed at the last two Copas America in 2015 and 2016 but they have struggled in World Cup qualifying of late, a 0-0 draw at home to Bolivia in September seeing them drop down to seventh spot. While there is plenty of time for La Roja to turn things around, they will be desperate to get back on track in Ecuador – who are also going through a bad run after a strong start – on Thursday. The other encounter pits Paraguay against Colombia, two teams who will be relatively happy with their respective positions in the table.
All in all, it promises to be another exciting and entertaining week in the South American segment of World Cup qualifying.
