Brazil vs. Argentina Preview and Pick

Brazil vs. Argentina World Cup Qualifying<
Saturday September 5, 2009 8:30 PM ET on Mexsport
By Jason Green at Predictem.com

In a huge South American World Cup qualifying game on Saturday night, Argentina hosts Brazil at Gigante de Arroyito stadium in Rosario, Argentina, and this is one of the premier rivalries in all of international soccer. This is a decisive game for both teams, as the outcome may determine the fates of each team, but the game is more important to Argentina, as they are in danger of missing out on the festivities next summer.

Brazil leads the South American group with 27 points while Argentina sits in 4th place with 22 points. Four teams from South America will automatically qualify for the World Cup and the 5th place finisher will play the 4th place side from the CONCACAF zone (North-Central America & the Caribbean) for the final spot in South Africa. There are many teams in South America still in contention so Argentina cannot afford to lose this match.

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This match was moved from the Monumental stadium of Buenos Aires to the Gigante de Arroyito stadium because the fans of the region are the most rabid about South American soccer. Brazil has only lost 1 of their last 7 matches against Argentina, but now that Diego Maradona is the Argentine head coach the team seems to be headed in the right direction. If Argentina loses this match they may miss out on qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since 1970.

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There has been a war of words before this match, as Maradona has claimed that he was "a better player than Pele was" and that "Argentina has better players than Brazil. Pele responded by stating "I'm confident in Brazil, most of all against teams who we have always been superior to, like Argentina. We already know who Maradona is...what he says isn't worth taking into consideration." The battle will be played on the field on Saturday night in a heavyweight fight that should be awesome to see.

Argentina is the home favorite in this match posted at 2.10 with Brazil the away underdog posted at 3.40 with a draw at 3.25.

Argentina Recent Form:

8/12/2009 Russia 2 Argentina 3 (Friendly)
6/10/2009 Ecuador 2 Argentina 0 (World Cup Qualifier)
6/6/2009 Argentina 1 Columbia 0 (World Cup Qualifier)
6/2/2009 Argentina 3 Panama 1 (Friendly)
4/1/2009 Bolivia 6 Argentina 1 (World Cup Qualifier)

Brazil Recent Form:

8/12/2009 Estonia 0 Brazil 1 (Friendly)
6/28/2009 U.S.A. 2 Brazil 3 (Confederations Cup)
6/25/2009 Brazil 1 South Africa 0 (Confederations Cup)
6/21/2009 Italy 0 Brazil 3 (Confederations Cup)
6/18/2009 U.S.A. 0 Brazil 3 (Confederations Cup)

Jonas Gutierrez and Diego are out for this match for Argentina. Juan Sebastian Veron is banged up, but he should play in this match.

There are a couple of players that have minor injuries for Brazil, but overall their whole squad is match fit.

The big stars for Argentina are Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez, Juan Sebastian Veron and Javier Mascherano and if they are on their game on Saturday night they will be tough to beat.

Messi is one of the best young strikers in the world and he has not played great for Argentina like he has for Barcelona. He has stated that this match is the most important one of his career so far. He will have to have a good match and put pressure on the Brazil defense.

Kaka is the main man for Brazil and he will have to control the midfield and push up on offense in this match. If Kaka is neutralized and he can't work his magic with the ball it gives the home side a huge advantage in this match.

Brazil is going with a young squad and not all big stars, which is evident since Ronaldinho is not on the squad. Still, the results have been good for Brazil, but the young squad will have their hands full against a determined Argentina team on Saturday night.

Brazil will have their chance to score in this match since Argentina really needs the 3 points and cannot afford to sit back on defense.

Jason's Pick: Argentina will throw everything at Brazil in this match, but I think how Messi plays will determine the winner. If he can score a goal early it will set the tone for the match. I think that since Argentina has their backs somewhat against the wall, they will win this match in front of a raucous home crowd by a score of 2-1 or 3-2, but a draw is a distinct possibility as well.

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