They are South America's soccer powerhouses, with seven World Cup titles between them and a bitter rivalry as storied as any in sports.
"It's the final that everyone was waiting for," said Brazil striker Adriano. "It will be an unforgettable match. I hope Brazil ... will keep making history."
Said Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano: "Playing against Brazil is a match no player ever wants to miss. Winning always has a special flavor."
PHOTO: AFP
To Argentines' everlasting distaste, their giant neighbor has won five World Cups to their two, while Brazilians' stomachs knot at the fact that Argentina is the only country with a winning record against them.
Historically, the two teams have played 90 games since 1908 with Argentina winning 36 and Brazil 33. They have drawn 21, including the very first, 2-2 on July 2, 1908 in Sao Paulo.
At the time, the great rivalry of the region was between Argentina and Uruguay, but as Uruguay declined, Brazil slowly overcame its underachieving record.
While Argentina excluded itself from the World Cup for 20 years to 1954 for political reasons, its great sides of the day feasted on Brazil in South America.
At the 1937 Copa, Argentina beat Brazil twice, the second in extra-time, to take the title, and in 1940 it enjoyed its biggest win over Brazil, by 6-1.
In 1946, Argentina won the Copa final 2-0 after the game was suspended in the first half for more than an hour when a player from each side was sent off.
Brazil has never beaten Argentina in the finals, not even when Pele made his one Copa appearance in 1959. Pele scored a tournament-high eight goals but his 1958 World Cup-champion side could only draw Argentina 1-1 in the final, handing the home side its 12th Copa title.
Parity has largely characterized the series since the late 1970s, with 11 ties in 25 games.
No team has won by a margin greater than two goals since Brazil beat Argentina 4-1 in 1968.
Brazil didn't even play in one of the greatest controversies between them, at the 1978 World Cup in Argentina. Argentina had to beat Peru 4-0 to edge Brazil on goal difference and make the final, and ended up winning 6-0 in a match long regarded suspiciously for goal-rigging.
At the 1982 World Cup, Brazil won 3-1 and Argentina's first-round exit was embarrassed by Maradona. He'd been hacked at all game by Batista, and when he'd had enough he kicked Batista in the groin and was sent off.
The following year, Argentina ended a 16-year winless streak against Brazil in the Copa, and in 1990 eliminated Brazil 1-0 in the second round of the World Cup.
But in 1995, Brazil knocked out Argentina in the Copa quarterfinals thanks to Tulio's hand-ball goal which leveled the score at 2-2 and forced a penalty shootout which Brazil won.
In the 1999 Copa, Dida saved a penalty kick by Roberto Ayala to uphold Brazil's 2-1 victory,
Over the last five years, Argentina and Brazil have met six times with both teams winning three games apiece in matches played both at the Copa America and in World Cup qualifying.
The final of the South American championship comes nearly two months following the last installment in their rivalry. In June, Brazil defeated Argentina 3-1 in a World Cup qualifier on a hat trick of penalty kicks by Ronaldo.
The teams are placed 1-2 in South American qualifying with Brazil on top with 13 points after seven games, holding a one point edge over Argentina.
In what will be the first Copa finals showdown between them since 1991, the Brazilians have a chance to gain a foothold on a tournament historically dominated by Argentina.
Argentina could earn a record 15th Copa America title with a victory on Sunday. Argentina, along with Uruguay, is the winningest team at the tournament.
Brazil, meanwhile, could clinch the team's seventh Copa title in what will be the ninth Copa finals between both teams.
Sunday's championship game, however, will not feature many of the top names from either team.
Brazil will be without Real Madrid stars Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos, AC Milan playmaker Kaka and Ronaldinho of FC Barcelona. Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira decided to rest them all after their grueling European seasons.
AC Milan's Hernan Crespo, Juan Sebastian Veron of Inter Milan, and Real Madrid's Walter Samuel also opted to rest for Argentina.
At this year's Copa, Argentina has still relied on a core of its A-team players who compete regularly during World Cup qualifying, while Brazil has turned to a squad composed primarily of second-stringers.
Nevertheless, for players and coaches from both teams, it's only winning that matters in any Argentina-Brazil showdown.
"If they have brought their B team, I don't think that's important," said Argentina coach Marcelo Bielsa. "That certain players aren't here isn't what obligates us to win, those feelings arise from our own desire to win."
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but