East Rutherford (United States) (AFP) – Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Friday that the five-time World Cup winners have a team capable of competing with the very best, as they bid to end a 24-year wait for another global crown. After winning five Champions League titles as a club coach, the Italian will make his managerial debut in the sport’s biggest tournament at the helm of a Brazil side that has not lifted the trophy since 2002.
“It’s a new experience, it’s a new responsibility to represent the country of football,” Ancelotti said ahead of Brazil’s Group C opener against Morocco in New Jersey on Saturday. “It comes down to two words: responsibility and honour. It’s a unique and very beautiful moment in my career.”
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“We have a team that can compete with every team in the world, we’re convinced of that. It’s a team with quality and experience, and with absolute confidence that it can compete with anyone,” he added. Ancelotti, 67, predicted a very “balanced” World Cup and felt his players were well prepared going into their game with Morocco, in a section that also includes Scotland and Haiti.
Brazil landed in the United States with doubts over their prospects after a rocky qualifying campaign, losing six of 18 matches. They finished fifth, which in previous years would have forced them into the play-offs. They also arrived without injured forwards Rodrygo and Estevao, while Neymar will miss the opening game. The 34-year-old suffered a right calf injury in mid-May and is expected to return to training next week, according to Ancelotti. He has not played for his country since 2023.
“Neymar is working very hard to recover as quickly as possible,” said the coach. “We called him up not only for his football ability, which is indisputable, but also for the experience and example he can give to the younger players in the group.”
– Vinicius eager to ‘change history’ –
With Neymar ruled out, Vinicius Junior is expected to lead Brazil alongside the likes of Raphinha, Marquinhos, and Casemiro. The Real Madrid forward made it clear his main goal is to secure another World Cup for his country.
“I’m here to bring Brazil back to the top. I have more games and more experience than at the last World Cup, I’m here to have an excellent tournament,” he said. “We’ve come here to be champions. We’re at the level of the big national teams, of the great sides. We have great players and we’ve evolved in recent months. At the World Cup, everything starts from zero: it doesn’t matter who reached the last final, who won the Copa America, what matters is what’s going to happen in tomorrow’s match. We’re here to change history.”
Brazil beat Morocco 3-0 in the group stage of the 1998 World Cup, but the North Africans have drastically closed the gap on the top nations in recent years. Morocco reached the last four of the 2022 edition in Qatar and were then awarded this year’s Africa Cup of Nations title on home soil after a chaotic final, initially won 1-0 by Senegal after extra time. Senegal were stripped of the victory after storming off the pitch in protest at a late penalty decision, with the final verdict in the hands of the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
While that saga still lingers in the background, Morocco are focused solely on the challenge in store at the World Cup, and that of facing Brazil. “It’s a match that will tell us where we stand, but I think we’re in a good place to start this competition,” said coach Mohamed Ouahbi, who replaced Walid Regragui as Morocco boss in March.
“We’ve got to be confident in ourselves and what we’ve done. We shouldn’t fear Brazil but respect them a lot. We’re not going to do anything special though. Lots of people say it’s not the Brazil of old, but it’s still Brazil,” he added.
© 2024 AFP
