Argentina and Brazil play first leg in Goiania

Argentina and Brazil play the first of two annual super-classics in Goiania today with both sides lining up players with teams on the South American continent. Brazil won the last series when the match in Córdoba ended 0-0 and Brazil won their home match 2-0.

Argentina’s probable lineup will be Oscar Ustari; Santiago Vergini, Sebastián Domínguez, Leandro Desábato; Gino Peruzzi, Maximiliano Rodríguez, Rodrigo Braña, Pablo Guiñazú , Clemente Rodríguez; Juan Manuel Martínez and Hernán Barcos.

Brazil Mano Menezes doesn’t think his job as head of the Brazilian national team is in greater danger because World Cup-winning coach Luiz Felipe Scolari is on the market again.

Menezes has been under pressure for some time because of Brazil’s lackluster play as it prepares for the 2014 World Cup at home, and some fans and local media began calling for Scolari to take over the moment his contract with Brazilian club Palmeiras was terminated last week.

Scolari, who led Brazil to the 2002 World Cup title in South Korea and Japan, never ruled out coaching the national team again, but had been dismissing any possibility of taking over the job because of his club contracts. The 63-year-old Scolari coached Portugal to the final of the 2004 European Championship, as host, and to the semifinals of the 2006 World Cup. He had a spell at Chelsea and Uzbekistan’s Bunyodkor before returning to Palmeiras in July 2010.

Criticism over Menezes increased significantly after he failed to lead Brazil to the Olympic gold medal despite having most of his top players available at the under-23 tournament in London. Brazil lost the final to Mexico at Wembley. He was heavily jeered by fans in Sao Paulo when Brazil struggled in a 1-0 win over South Africa in a friendly two weeks ago, but Brazil rebounded a few days later with an 8-0 thrashing of China.

Brazil will play the second leg of the Superclassic of the Americas on October 3 in the city of Resistencia.

AP