Spain and Brazil measure their talent in a high-level friendly
The national team receives the five-time world champion at the Bernabéu in a clash to raise awareness about the fight against racism
MADRID, 25 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish men’s team will have a good test this Tuesday to fine-tune its preparation for the European Championship in Germany in June when it faces the five-time world champion Brazil, a rival with a lot of potential and young talent that is looking to recover its best version.
The first test of the three-time European champion in this international break was not very fruitful, with a defeat at the London Olympic Stadium against the currently toned Colombia, which won 0-1 in a duel where coach Luis de la Fuente presented a very new eleven that, surely, will be far from the one presented against the talented ‘Canarinha’.
Spain put an end to a good streak of eight games without losing in the English capital and will now try to return to the path of victory against a Brazilian team that gained morale in its new project by beating England at Wembley with a goal from one of its inexhaustible local talents such as the future Real Madrid player Endrick.
Both teams can boast of an individual quality that is now present, but above all with a lot of future, in a clash with no more ‘pressure’ than a victory that serves as emotional reinforcement for their closest objectives such as the European Championship and the Copa América. This summer, appointments prior to the Paris Olympic Games where both could see each other at the Under-23 level and with the spirit of revenge on the Spanish side for the defeat in the Tokyo 2020 final.
In that defeat in the Japanese capital, Luis de la Fuente was leading the ‘Roja’, who is reunited with Brazil after completing one year, with more lights than shadows, already leading the Absoluta. Much less has his Brazilian counterpart, Dorival Júnior, who made his debut last Saturday after the final renewal with Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid, the desired one to take over from Tite, and who must straighten the course of a team that has been timid since the World Cup. Qatar that at Wembley broke a streak of four games without winning, the previous three with defeat.
These two teams have not seen faces with their ‘elders’ for longer. The last one, in 2013, began to glimpse the end of the Spanish ‘golden generation’ with the tough 3-0 defeat in the final of the 2013 Confederations Cup, prior to a World Cup in Brazil that was disappointing for both for different reasons. The ‘Seleçao’ has not set foot on Spanish soil for 15 years when they drew goalless in Balaídos and the one at the Bernabéu will be only the tenth meeting between two world champions, with only one Spanish victory, 3-0 at El Molinón in 1990.
TALENT IN RAUDALS ON THE OFFENSIVE PART OF BOTH TEAMS
The style of both predicts a beautiful football night on the Bernabéu pitch, which should also serve to send a message of unity and rejection of racism. In fact, the friendly was announced after what happened with Vinícius Junior in Mestalla last year and the previous one has already put the focus on the figure of the Madrid winger, who will play for the first time as a visitor in what is his usual home and will have one of the possible individual duels with the most expectation against his teammate Dani Carvajal.
The Real Madrid winger should be one of the many novelties that Luis de la Fuente presents in an eleven that could have many signs of resembling the one in the Euro Cup opener against Croatia on June 15 and that could compete on the offensive front with the one that the ‘Canarinha’ could pose, trying to get used to the lack of their ’10’, the injured Neymar Jr.
Thus, the young Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, Dani Olmo and Álvaro Morata could command the attack against a rival with another young leader like Endrick, who gave the victory in London, and who seems to be a starter according to the words of Dorival Júnior in the prior, accompanying ‘Vini’, which would leave the downtrodden Rodrygo Goes or the blaugrana Raphinha without a place in the last duel. Richarlison or Savinho, a Girona footballer, are other Brazilian assets in attack.
In the middle, the return of Rodri Hernández is expected, although the English Manchester City midfielder has been absent from the last three training sessions due to a family commitment, accompanied by Fabián Ruiz, without minutes on Friday, to battle against a team that could discuss ball possession and who will be missing his ‘anchor’, the veteran Carlos Casemiro, another important loss along with goalkeeper Ederson and captain Marquinhos.
Behind, Unai Simón, in goal, the aforementioned Carvajal and Le Normand, who also did not play against the Colombian team, the news is emerging, with the expectation about a possible ownership of the young Pau Cubarsí, who already had his international ‘baptism’ with a brief presence against Colombia, as a teammate of the Real Sociedad center back.
DATASHEET.
–POSIBLE ALIGNMENTS.
SPAIN: Unai Simón; Carvajal, Le Normand, Laporte, Grimaldo; Rodri, Fabián; Yamal, Olmo, Williams; and Morata.
BRAZIL: Bento; Danilo, Bremer, Beraldo, Wendell; Paquetá, Bruno Guimaraes, Joao Gomes; Raphinha, Endrick and Vinícius Jr.
–REFEREE: António Emanuel Carvalho Nobre (POR).
–Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
–TIME: 9:30 p.m./1st.