Argentina vs. Brazil: Key Battles (Part 2)
Neymar vs. Nicolas Burdisso
With Alexandre Pato out injured, the Santos prodigy, Neymar is likely to be given a starting role. Neymar has left fans and scouts drooling over his mesmerising skill and looks set to have a bright future with one of the elite European clubs. Indeed the
player was close to signing for Chelsea before choosing otherwise.
the task of handling Neymar will be appointed to Gilarossi centre back Nicolas Burdisso. Following some trouble years with Inter Milan, Burdisso has found a new lease of life with AS Roma and has been a stalwart for the past 12 months. Burdisso is not the
most technical of players, but the Gilarossi defender plays with the heart on his sleeve. His sheer determination to dominate the opposition will be interesting to watch when facing a supremely talented, yet inexperienced, youngster.
Ronaldinho vs. Javier Zanetti
The two legends of the game are expected to line up against each other tomorrow. Zanetti has been playing at his world class best for the past sixteen seasons with Nerazzuri – truly awe-inspiring – and will look to put in a match winning performance in what
might be his last outing against the mighty Brazil.
Ronaldinho, for his part, was the undoubted best player from 2004 to 2006. Ronnie tricked and dazzled the world with some truly swashbuckling performances that have been recorded in Selecao and Los Cules folklore. The Rossoneri playmaker has fallen from
grace ever since. With the spring in the feet gone, Ronnie has become a passing machine capable of picking most deadly of passes with utmost ease.
Zanetti will be the man responsible for marking Ronnie out of the game as the Milan player can run havoc if he is afforded the space and time. Zanetti produced a masterful performance against Lionel Messi in the last season’s Champions League and it would
be fascinating to see how Zanetti handles Ronaldinho.
Ramires vs. Javier Pastore
The current Argentina squad is blessed with extraordinary attacking talent. Where Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria and Gonzalo Higuain will look to score goals, the player in charge of feeding them will be Javier Pastore. The Palermo ace has been in such diviner
form that club president Maurizio Zamparini has slapped a 70 million Euros price tag on his crown jewel. The player managed to enhance his reputation even further with a sublime hat-trick on the weekend.
Pastore will be up against Ramires in the Brazilian third. The Chelsea ball winner has been struggling for form ever since he made that 17 million pounds switch from SL Benfica. Ramires will have to get over his recent woes and put in a man of the match
performance to counter the Sicilian spice that is Pastore. Should Ramires fail to subdue the Argentine, Pastore will link up with Lionel Messi on the wing and the consequences of such turn of events won’t be sweet for the Selecao faithful.
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