Argentina coach Diego Maradona would give anything to be able to play in Saturday’s World Cup qualifier against Brazil, he said on Tuesday.
Argentina have been beset by injury worries before the game in Rosario, prompting Maradona to add 30-year-old midfielder Rodrigo Brana, 35-year-old striker Martin Palermo and 36-year-old defender Rolando Schiavi to his squad.
Schiavi and Brana are both uncapped and Palermo has not been called up for nearly nine years.
PHOTO: EPA
“Yesterday, when I met up with the players, I said that I’d give anything to be 20 years younger and be able to play myself,” Maradona told Radio Del Plata.
“But after all these problems we have to move forward. The ones who can’t play will just have to wait for the next game and the ones who can will have to be decisive on the field,” he said. “The truth is that it’s been terrible. With each phone call from [team doctor Donato] Villani, I was praying. This one’s been hurt, that one’s pulled a muscle...”
Strikers Diego Milito and Lisandro Lopez, defender Nicolas Burdisso and midfielders Juan Veron, Jonas Gutierrez and Sebastian Battaglia are all doubtful for Saturday’s clash.
Gutierrez’s injury has dashed Maradona’s plans for stopping the powerful bursts of Brazil right back Maicon.
“We’ve lost the best hope we had of stopping Maicon, which was Jonas,” Maradona said. “In addition to marking, he can attack from behind, which is what worries him. We don’t know which alternative to try.”
Brazil are a little wary of playing in the cozy confines of Rosario’s Estadio Gigante de Arroyito.
When the archrivals usually meet in Argentina, its at the larger Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. But after Maradona complained about the state of River Plate’s stadium in June, the match was moved to Rosario, about 300km north of the capital.
There, only 5m separates the field from the stands.
“We know that the supporters are closer to the pitch in Rosario, and that alone creates a more pressurized atmosphere,” Brazil defender Juan told FIFA’s Web site.
Another challenge: Maradona demanded the pitch be cut short before Saturday’s match, which should speed up play and allow the likes of Argentina’s Lionel Messi to quickly attack Brazil’s bigger defenders.
A sellout of 45,000 is expected for the game. Demand is so great that several hundred people were in line on Tuesday waiting for tickets to go on sale.
Ernesto Bua, a student, told the newspaper Ole he was able to study while waiting in line under a small tent.
“It’s the same. Instead of studying at home, I study here,” he said.
The match could go a long way toward determining if Argentina qualify for next year’s finals in South Africa. For Brazil, which leads qualifying in the South America, it’s a perfect opportunity to ruin things for its rivals.
Brazil leads qualifying with 27 points followed by Chile (26), Paraguay (24) and Argentina (22). Close behind are Ecuador (20), Uruguay (18) and Colombia and Venezuela (17). The top four qualify automatically. The No. 5 team faces a playoff with the No. 4 from North and Central America and the Caribbean.
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