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Latin nations poised to shine in World Cup qualifiers
Caracas, Sept 10: Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and Argentina have been training before their important 2006 World Cup soccer qualifiers.
Caracas, Sept 10: Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and Argentina have been training before their important 2006 World Cup soccer qualifiers.
Six national soccer teams across South America representing Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Chile and Peru have been preparing for their World Cup qualifier matches on Tuesday (September 9) and Wednesday (September 10). In Caracas, Venezuela and Argentina soccer teams prepared for their Tuesday South American 2006 World Cup qualifier, with both teams feeling pressure to win after losses in their opening qualifiers. The Argentines, who arrived in Caracas on Monday, trained in the evening and are hoping for a win as they try to regain public confidence after their shock first-round exit in Japan and South Korea last year. The team suffered a disappointing 2-2 tie with Chile in their opening qualifier on Saturday (September 06). As the team wrapped up its practice, fans hoping to get near the players began pushing and shoving. Police fired MACE anti-riot gas into the crowd which caused some of the players, including midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron, to cough as they boarded the bus.
The Venezuelan team, who trained earlier on Monday, rested ahead of their match. The team, that first entered the qualifiers in 1965 and managed only two wins between then and 1997, is unbeaten in their last 11 home matches in a run stretching back to November 2000.
Venezuela, whose coach is Richard Paez, won five games in the qualifiers for the 2002 World Cup, but made a disappointing start to its 2006 campaign on Saturday (September 6), losing 2-0 in Ecuador.
In Manaus, Brazil, Ecuador and Brazil trained in preparation for Wednesday's game.
Ecuador, whose appearance in Japan and South Korea last year was their first at a World Cup finals, began with a 2-0 home win over Venezuela on Saturday (September 6).
However Ecuador will be without 35-year-old captain Alex Aguinaga who limped out of the match with Venezuela before halftime after taking a knock on the knee and is expected to be out of action for around 10 days.
Their success in qualifying, which included a first-ever win over Brazil on the way, has provided an enormous boost to the self-confidence of a team, who until recently had a reputation for taking the field with the idea they were going to lose, and Colombian coach Hernan Dario Gomez, a stalwart of World Cup qualifying campaigns.
Ronaldinho is set to return for Brazil after missing Sunday's 2-1 win in Colombia through suspension. The Barcelona forward's comeback will allow coach Carlos Alberto Parreira to return to the "three Rs" attack favoured by his predecessor Luiz Felipe Scolari at last year's World Cup, but he will have to decide who to leave out after a convincing performance against Colombia in Barranquilla when Brazil began the defence of the world title.
Brazil, who trained in front of a 15,000 crowd at the Vivaldao stadium in the Amazon port city of Manaus on Monday (September 8) evening, used six midfielders against Colombia, Alex, Ze Roberto, Emerson and Gilberto, who all started, and substitutes Kaka and Renato.
All performed well, although AS Roma's Emerson is the least popular with the Brazilian media. One of them, however, will have to make way, assuming that Rivaldo, who is a reserve at AC Milan and looked short of match fitness on Sunday (September 7), keeps his place in the team.
Coach Parreira predicted his team would win the match. "Brazil's major product right now is football, it's the Brazilian team, there is nothing equal to it," said Parreira.
Arch-rivals Chile and Peru, two teams starved of international success, will be bidding to capitalise on good starts to the 2006 World Cup qualifiers when they clash in Santiago on Tuesday.
Chile, who hope to have Italian-based midfielder David Pizarro and former Juventus striker Marcelo Salas back from injury, came from two down to draw 2-2 with Argentina in Buenos Aires on Saturday (September 6) while Peru hammered Paraguay 4-1.
However Chile and Peru, who both missed out on last year's World Cup finals Japan and South Korea, are both trying to put a lid on the euphoria that greeted their opening results.
Peru's Brazilian coach Paulo Autuori, who is trying to bring more of a winning mentality to a team that has traditionally produced good football, warned the Chile game would be more difficult than on Saturday.
Peru is at full strength but Chile is without striker Reinaldo Navia and fullback Cristian Alvarez, both sent off in Buenos Aires, while midfielder Rodrigo Melendez, who limped off with an ankle injury, is also ruled out.
According to Chilean media, Pizarro has been passed fit while Salas took part in Sunday's practice but is still awaiting a final decision. The marathon South American campaign also includes Bolivia facing Colombia and Paraguay taking on Uruguay on Wednesday (September 10).
Bureau Report
Six national soccer teams across South America representing Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Chile and Peru have been preparing for their World Cup qualifier matches on Tuesday (September 9) and Wednesday (September 10). In Caracas, Venezuela and Argentina soccer teams prepared for their Tuesday South American 2006 World Cup qualifier, with both teams feeling pressure to win after losses in their opening qualifiers. The Argentines, who arrived in Caracas on Monday, trained in the evening and are hoping for a win as they try to regain public confidence after their shock first-round exit in Japan and South Korea last year. The team suffered a disappointing 2-2 tie with Chile in their opening qualifier on Saturday (September 06). As the team wrapped up its practice, fans hoping to get near the players began pushing and shoving. Police fired MACE anti-riot gas into the crowd which caused some of the players, including midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron, to cough as they boarded the bus.
The Venezuelan team, who trained earlier on Monday, rested ahead of their match. The team, that first entered the qualifiers in 1965 and managed only two wins between then and 1997, is unbeaten in their last 11 home matches in a run stretching back to November 2000.
Venezuela, whose coach is Richard Paez, won five games in the qualifiers for the 2002 World Cup, but made a disappointing start to its 2006 campaign on Saturday (September 6), losing 2-0 in Ecuador.
In Manaus, Brazil, Ecuador and Brazil trained in preparation for Wednesday's game.
Ecuador, whose appearance in Japan and South Korea last year was their first at a World Cup finals, began with a 2-0 home win over Venezuela on Saturday (September 6).
However Ecuador will be without 35-year-old captain Alex Aguinaga who limped out of the match with Venezuela before halftime after taking a knock on the knee and is expected to be out of action for around 10 days.
Their success in qualifying, which included a first-ever win over Brazil on the way, has provided an enormous boost to the self-confidence of a team, who until recently had a reputation for taking the field with the idea they were going to lose, and Colombian coach Hernan Dario Gomez, a stalwart of World Cup qualifying campaigns.
Ronaldinho is set to return for Brazil after missing Sunday's 2-1 win in Colombia through suspension. The Barcelona forward's comeback will allow coach Carlos Alberto Parreira to return to the "three Rs" attack favoured by his predecessor Luiz Felipe Scolari at last year's World Cup, but he will have to decide who to leave out after a convincing performance against Colombia in Barranquilla when Brazil began the defence of the world title.
Brazil, who trained in front of a 15,000 crowd at the Vivaldao stadium in the Amazon port city of Manaus on Monday (September 8) evening, used six midfielders against Colombia, Alex, Ze Roberto, Emerson and Gilberto, who all started, and substitutes Kaka and Renato.
All performed well, although AS Roma's Emerson is the least popular with the Brazilian media. One of them, however, will have to make way, assuming that Rivaldo, who is a reserve at AC Milan and looked short of match fitness on Sunday (September 7), keeps his place in the team.
Coach Parreira predicted his team would win the match. "Brazil's major product right now is football, it's the Brazilian team, there is nothing equal to it," said Parreira.
Arch-rivals Chile and Peru, two teams starved of international success, will be bidding to capitalise on good starts to the 2006 World Cup qualifiers when they clash in Santiago on Tuesday.
Chile, who hope to have Italian-based midfielder David Pizarro and former Juventus striker Marcelo Salas back from injury, came from two down to draw 2-2 with Argentina in Buenos Aires on Saturday (September 6) while Peru hammered Paraguay 4-1.
However Chile and Peru, who both missed out on last year's World Cup finals Japan and South Korea, are both trying to put a lid on the euphoria that greeted their opening results.
Peru's Brazilian coach Paulo Autuori, who is trying to bring more of a winning mentality to a team that has traditionally produced good football, warned the Chile game would be more difficult than on Saturday.
Peru is at full strength but Chile is without striker Reinaldo Navia and fullback Cristian Alvarez, both sent off in Buenos Aires, while midfielder Rodrigo Melendez, who limped off with an ankle injury, is also ruled out.
According to Chilean media, Pizarro has been passed fit while Salas took part in Sunday's practice but is still awaiting a final decision. The marathon South American campaign also includes Bolivia facing Colombia and Paraguay taking on Uruguay on Wednesday (September 10).
Bureau Report