Chile must “make a great match” and not a “timorous” one against Brazil, says DT Lasarte

Chile must “make a great match” and not a “timorous” one against Brazil, if it wants to stay in the fight for a passage to the Qatar 2022 World Cup, its technical director, Uruguayan Martín Lasarte, said on Tuesday.

Two days after the crucial meeting in Rio de Janeiro in which Chile must win at least one draw against Brazil - already qualified for the World Cup - that will allow it to stay alive in the South American qualifiers, Lasarte said at a press conference how difficult this meeting will be for the future of the squad.

“To beat a rival like Brazil we must play a great game, minimize mistakes and take advantage of the chances we have to score,” said the DT.

“We are clear that we cannot make a timorous match because of the need we have,” he added.

Chile is sixth in the South American standings, for now without a ticket to go to the Qatar-2022 World Cup, but still has a chance of reaching at least fifth place that will allow it to go to a playoff against an Asian national team.

To achieve this goal, the match against Brazil is paramount for Chile and requires its best men. Therefore, the coach dispelled doubts about a possible contagion of covid-19 from Alexis Sánchez and Arturo Vidal, who trained normally.

Meanwhile, Anglo-Chilean striker Ben Brereton arrived with an injury that still keeps his inclusion for the game with 'Scratch'.

“I think (Brereton) is not ruled out and we will be doing more thorough tests again. Today and tomorrow we will try it,” said the DT.

On Brazil, Lasarte said that “there is a great rival in front, who falls down a player and it seems that he calls a better one”.

After the match with Brazil, Chile will face Uruguay five days later in Santiago on the final date of the South American World Cup.

msa/pa/ma