Trial by fire for the invincible Brazil, he will face a curse that has tormented him for quite some time. Coach Tite said Monday that his team will make every effort to beat Paraguay in Tuesday’s match for the Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifiers to end the 35-year-old undefeated Paraguayans in matches played in Asunción.
Tite admitted that it was his personal challenge to put an end to the long period in which Brazil did not beat Paraguay in Asunción, since in the last games since 1985 they have conceded two defeats and achieved two draws.
He admitted, however, that the degree of difficulty in beating Paraguay at home is very great.
“The quality of Paraguay is great and they will have the advantage of playing at home in very level qualifying rounds. It is something that challenges me,” said the Brazilian team coach at the virtual press conference he gave on the eve of the match.
The technical commission recalled that, despite the fact that Brazil leads the classification of the South American qualifiers with five victories in the same number of games and has 15 points, more than twice that of Paraguay (7), Tuesday’s opponent is also undefeated in the current ones. playoffs (one win and four draws).
According to Cléber Xavier, Tite’s assistant coach, Paraguay’s players grew even more since the last game with Brazil, when the Brazilians only managed a goalless draw playing in Porto Alegre.
“We know about the difficulties but we are working focused on that match. We are in control, with the necessary defensive care, and we know the importance of the result to maintain first place in the standings and get closer to the World Cup, which is our goal. “, He said.
According to Xavier, Paraguay has a very well organized defense and knows how to raise the bar, especially when measuring Brazil. “And now we will face an even better Paraguay because, in addition to maintaining its high level in defense, it has a very good offensive power. That increases the difficulty. 35 years ago we did not beat them in Asunción, but we are working for a victory on Tuesday, “he said.
Tite refused to anticipate Brazil’s line-up for Tuesday’s game, “so as not to facilitate Paraguay’s defensive organization,” and was evasive when questioned about the possibility of Gabriel Jesús replacing Gabriel Barbosa “Gabigol” or the possible entry. of creatives like Everton Ribeiro or Roberto Firmino in the place of Fred, his second contention midfielder.
“We have a group of athletes of very high level and the use of one or the other depends on strategic terms. But I am very calm about the level of each one, for the moment of each one, and for the history in the selection of each one. That creates many possibilities for the use of one or the other athlete, “he said.
Tite stressed that Brazil can match in Asunción its best campaign in a World Cup qualifying since 1969, when it won the six games it played, despite the fact that the covid pandemic made training difficult and distanced. He added that, despite the difficulties and the modifications that had to be made, the team has managed to maintain a high level of competition and great regularity.
“In the qualifying matches we have maintained a balance, with a 60% control of the ball, a very strong defensive strength and an average of 2.3 goals per game,” he said.
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