Brazil to face Argentina at the Mineirão

Brazil will play their November World Cup qualifier at the Estádio Mineirão in Belo Horizonte on November 11th. It will be the first time that the Seleção have played at the stadium in Minas Gerais since their infamous 7-1 World Cup semi-final defeat to Germany in 2014. It is the first qualifier to take place […]
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sambafoot_admin
2016-06-24 21:23:00

Brazil will play their November World Cup qualifier at the Estádio Mineirão in Belo Horizonte on November 11th. It will be the first time that the Seleção have played at the stadium in Minas Gerais since their infamous 7-1 World Cup semi-final defeat to Germany in 2014.

It is the first qualifier to take place away from the North of Brazil, with games against Colombia and Bolivia in Manaus and Natal respectively. Previous home qualifiers have been played in Fortaleza, Recife and Salvador in the northeast region of the country.

Playing the Superclasico in the Mineirão represents a bold step given Brazil’s last encounter there, the ramifications of which continue to reverberate around Brazilian football. The CBF have continued to snub more southern based venues however with this decision.

The Seleção found a hostile reception awaited them in pre Copa América 2015 friendlies in São Paulo and Porto Alegre last June. It is thought that supporters in the more northern venues are warmer towards the team.

Playing this game in the Mineirão, just southeast of the centre of Brazil, represents a slight departure. The match is likely to be keenly contested, with both Brazil and Argentina having underperformed in the qualifying rounds to date. The teams played out a 1-1 draw in Buenos Aires last November.