Football
ESPN staff 7y

Brazil coach Tite losing sleep over CONMEBOL qualifier vs. Argentina

Brazil coach Tite has said he is losing sleep over the crucial World Cup qualifying match against Argentina on Nov. 10.

The Selecao, who sit top of table in CONMEBOL qualifying, host struggling Argentina in Belo Horizonte for a match that Tite says embodies their South American rivalry. 

The seven CONMEBOL teams are chasing four-and-a-half slots (the side finishing fifth will meet the winners of Oceania in a playoff).

Argentina, who lost at home to Paraguay last week, are perched precariously in fifth place and face must-win games against Brazil and Colombia in November.

"I haven't slept worrying about the match against Argentina," Tite said. "Against them, it is a championship match. The game has even more weight because it is a clasico.

"We are not going to run away. For us, the most important thing is to consolidate the current level of performance of our team because we have been getting good results over and above any consistency."

Argentina struggled in the ninth round without their injured star Lionel Messi. In qualifying, Argentina have won all three of the games in which the Barcelona forward has played but only one of the seven he has missed. 

Meanwhile, Brazil have won all four of their World Cup qualifiers since Tite took over from Dunga after a disappointing run of results for the record five-time world champions.

Brazil's new boss has helped the team rocket from sixth to top of the table, but warned that the Albiceleste were his worst nightmare.

The former Corinthians coach recalled their World Cup match in 1990, when Diego Maradona's run led to Claudio Caniggia grabbing the only goal of a second-round meeting.

"You have reminded me of something I wanted to forget," Tite said on the program Bem, Amigos. "Brazil played very good football that day but then Maradona ran inside.

"And there, the ball just so happened to pass between the legs of Ricardo Rocha and got to Caniggia, who scored that goal. 

"That is the way the World Cup is. One day, one match. If you don't produce as a team in the moment, you are out."

In total, the two teams have met four times at the World Cup finals, with two wins for Brazil, one victory for Argentina and one draw.

Tite said he was not concerned about Neymar having missed the match against Venezuela after being shown a second yellow card during the 5-0 win vs. Bolivia on Oct. 6.

"He is improving, but because he is such a talented player he will constantly receive fouls," Tite said.

"He needs to learn remain calm and keep playing. He is going to have to learn and just absorb it."

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