Match Highlights : Columbia Vs Brazil Available On 15th October Right Here On brasilsoccer.blogspot.com!

Catch the match highlights of Columbia vs Brazil on Monday 15th October right here on brasilsoccer.blogspot.com .

South America WCQ Preview: Colombia - Brazil

The scene is set for what promises to be a hot clash as Colombia want to resurge as a South American footballing powerhouse but have their first hurdle set high in the shape of Dunga’s new model Brazil.

The Bogotá match sees the five-time World Cup winning nation arrive up north as firm favourites thanks to the recent Copa América conquest at the expense of hot favourites Argentina and now face a Colombia that’s still to take shape.

The hosts had a Copa that was the polar opposite of the conquering Canarinhas (canaries) as the Cafeteras (coffee makers) commanded by Jorge Luis Pinto come from a weak Copa América that has left the national scene in a state of flux.

Brazil seem to be solidifying after the meltdown at Germany 2006, Dunga having imprinted his stern personality on the squad and a style of play that hasn’t won over accolades, yet has won silverware and cemented a renewed first eleven.

Team News

COLOMBIA

Colombia is still a long way from its heyday and are nowadays seen as underdogs to such an extent that Coach Pinto has publicly announced that he would adore a draw on the home debut: anything to avoid a defeat on the first matchday.

To make matters worse Pinto has shaken things up since the Copa América let-down and has rejuvenated the squad at the expense of experience and many doubt that the national side has attained anything near the right amount of cohesion.

Another blow was a retirement from the selección as Iván Ramiro Córdoba hung up his international spurs and a third is the injury suffered by Luis Amaranto Perea, the solid Atlético de Madrid centre-back leaving a gaping hole at the back.

Pinto is set to lock down the rearguard with Aquivaldo Mosquera (Sevilla) but is still deciding between Cristian Zapata (Udinese) and Wálter Moreno (Cúcuta Deportivo) to partner the Sevillista in a defence that’s bound to be put under pressure.

In the last few training sessions observers noted that Pinto was alternating between fielding the two defenders in turns besides the unquestioned Mosquera, and one of the candidates, Moreno was raring to go if given the chance.

“It’s always a great motivator to play against the best sides in the world. The idea is to take advantage of an opportunity to help our country and to put Brazil under constant pressure and not leave any gaps at the back”, explained the Cúcuta stopper.

Better news can be found up front as River Plate marksman Radamel Falcao García has seen his great recent club-level work be rewarded and can see this game as an excellent chance to leave his mark – and a high-profile calling card before the winter transfer window opens.

BRAZIL
The Copa América has informed the composition of the Seleção Brasileira as Dunga’s first eleven becomes clearer – with the exception of a striker. The ‘Dunga Revolution’ after Parreira’s men failed to make the grade in Germany has been quite meek.

A total of nine ‘survivors’ from the ill-fated World Cup 2006 are still in Dunga’s squad with seven of them still considered as first team players, so the revolution has been one of attitude more than one of a clean sweep of the board.

Lúcio, Juan, Kaká and Ronaldinho are still in the first eleven that crashed so conspicuously in Germany while the benched Robinho, Gilberto Silva, Mineiro, Gilberto and Júlio César are now habitual names for a first team position.

Dunga’s initial manifest talked of using more Brazilian players, but the fact is that – a few exceptions aside – Dunga has reduced his use of Brazil-based players systematically to the point where just two Brazil-based men were called up this time.

Only São Paulo centre-back Alex Silva (‘little’ brother of SL Benfica idol Luisão) and left-back-cum left-sided midfielder Kléber (Santos) are included in the Brazil call-ups: hardly a sign that there’s been a reassessment of the Eurocentric view.

The biggest news lately is that Dunga appears to be ready to put Robinho – who looks to have shaken off the ankle problems he arrived with – in a front line next to Vágner Love and take Elano out of the equation.

Previously there had been speculation of Brazil playing without a traditional ‘number 9’ (either Vágner Love or Afonso Alves) and pushing either Ronaldinho or Kaká up into the front line as they’ve both got a nose for goal and the system was tried successfully for some of the recent friendly matches.

Real Madrid's Marcelo eager to shake-off Roberto Carlos tag

Marcelo is determined to establish himself as Real Madrid's first-choice left-back.

Marcelo insists he is not concerned about following in Roberto Carlos' footsteps, but is keen to be recognised as his own man in the future.

"It does not hurt me but I hope that some day they know me as Marcelo, and not as Roberto Carlos' replacement," he said.

"Although at the same time it is nice that people say I am his successor. Roberto is my idol and to be his replacement I have to do many more things.

"But in the future I would like to be remembered as Marcelo."

Robinho nursing ankle injury ahead of Brazil's World Cup qualifiers

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Striker Robinho practised separately from his teammates on Wednesday to treat an ankle injury ahead of Brazil's qualifying matches for the 2010 World Cup.

Robinho was still nursing the left-foot injury sustained 10 days ago while playing for Real Madrid, but was expected to recover in time for Brazil's match against Colombia on Sunday in Bogota.

"Robinho is fine," team doctor Jose Luis Runco told reporters at the training camp outside Rio de Janeiro. "He will be practising again soon. He still feels a little bit of pain, but it shouldn't be a problem for the opener."

Robinho was the only player on Brazil's injury list as the team prepares for the South American qualifying tournament.

Brazil will also play Ecuador next Wednesday in Rio de Janeiro.

The five-time world champion, coached by former player Dunga, will play two other qualifying matches later this year - against Peru and Uruguay in November.

Brazil does not need a number nine, says Dunga

TERESOPOLIS, Brazil, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Brazil coach Dunga has poured scorn on the suggestion that his team lack a so-called "number nine."

The number is traditionally worn by the out-and-out striker in Brazilian football and, at national team level, has belonged to Ronaldo for the best part of the last decade.
Ronaldo, hit by a loss of form and injuries, has not been picked since last year's World Cup and

Dunga has struggled to find a replacement. The coach, however, said he was unperturbed.
"We have this fixation about the number nine," Dunga told reporters on Thursday, three days before his team face Colombia in their first match of the 2010 World Cup qualifying competition.

"If we put a number 20 on the field and he started scoring lots of goals, it would cause mayhem."

"When I played for Brazil, Romario was the marksman but he wore number 11, so I suppose today he would be out of the team."

Adriano would have been Ronaldo's obvious substitute until recently but has suffered a dramatic loss of form in the last year while Fred, the other leading candidate, has a long-term injury.

In their absence, Dunga has shared the striker's role between Vagner Love and Afonso, the former managing three goals in 17 games and the latter one in seven.

The coach said it was important for all the players to share goals.

"In modern football, everyone has to score, it's up to whoever is in the penalty area," he said.
"If you cross the halfway line, you become a forward and you have to know how to play the ball and have an eye for goal.

"The more players who score goals the better."

Brazil eager for homecoming after two-year absence

TERESOPOLIS, Brazil, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Brazil's players, who next week enjoy a home international for the first time in more than two years, said on Wednesday they were eager for the rare chance to perform in front of their own public.

The 2010 World Cup qualifier against Ecuador on Oct. 17 will be Brazil's first home game since their 3-0 win over Venezuela on Oct. 12, 2005, the final match of the 2006 qualifiers.

It will also be their first game at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana stadium since they demolished Bolivia 5-0 in 2000.

"I greatly want to return, to play in front of our own supporters," said Ronaldinho, the only member of the squad to have played for Brazil at the Maracana.

"(Playing at the Maracana) is a completely different type of emotion because of everything the Maracana represents.

"To wear the Brazil shirt there is something special, I can't even explain what it's like."
Brazil are away to Colombia on Saturday in their opening match of the 2010 World Cup qualifying tournament, before facing Ecuador.

Midfielder Gilberto Silva said the home matches would give them a chance to build bridges with the public after their lacklustre display in last year's World Cup, where they lost to France in the quarter-finals.

Brazil won this year's Copa America in Venezuela under new coach Dunga, although their physical style has not pleased all their critics.

"The World Cup is something to be forgotten by the players, only those of us who were there know how difficult that moment was," Gilberto Silva said.

"I think this a moment in which we are winning back the Brazilian supporters," he added.

"It's a long time since we've played in our country with the national team and it's something we miss a lot...playing in our stadiums in front of a public who are passionate about football."

CBF – Confederation of Brazilian Football 2008 Official Calender

State Championships

16th January – 4th of May 2008

Copa do Brasil

13th February – 11th of June 2008

Libertadores Cup

30th January – 2nd of July 2008

Brasileirão (Brasileiro - Série A – First Division)

11th May – 7th of December 2008

Brasileiro - Série B (Second Division)

11th May – 30th of November 2008

Sudamericana Cup

13th August – 3rd of December 2008

FIFA CWC (Clube World Championship) Japan 2008

14th– 21st of December 2008


SELEÇÃO


6th February 2008 – Friendly

26th March 2008 – Friendly

15th of June Paraguay x Brazil (WCQ)

18 of June Brazil x Argentina (WCQ)

20th August 2008 – Friendly

7 of September Chile x Brazil (WCQ)

10th of September Brazil x Bolivia (WCQ)

12th of October Venezuela x Brazil (WCQ)

15th of October Brazil x Colombia (WCQ)

19th of November – Friendly

Brazilian team Flamengo retires No. 12 jersey to honor fans

Brazil's most popular club decided to honor its "greatest player" — the fans.

Flamengo said Thursday it retired the No. 12 jersey, symbolizing the importance of the team's so-called 12th man.

"The jersey belongs to the 'athlete' that honored the red and black colors (of Flamengo) the most," team adviser Reginaldo Beltrato said in a letter that prompted the decision. "This 'player' never missed a single match and helped the team to victory in the most difficult situations."

Flamengo has the largest fan base in Brazil, with about 33 million supporters in the nation of about 180 million people.

Flamengo is Brazil's most successful club, with five Brazilian league titles, but most of its glories date back to the 1980s, when all-star playmaker Zico was still in action. The club has struggled in recent years, winning only a few Rio de Janeiro state championships and a single Brazilian Cup title.

It has failed to contend in the Brazilian league and barely avoided relegation on several occasions. The last time it was a contender was in 1997, when it finished fifth.

Flamengo fans helped pack Maracana last Sunday in a 2-0 loss to rival Fluminense. The more than 60,000 fans at the stadium marked the biggest crowd of the season in this year's Brazilian league.

Flamengo is currently 13th in the 20-team standings with 40 points from 29 matches. Its next match is Saturday at Parana.

Inter Milan's Ibrahimovic key to Adriano comeback

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is playing a big role in Adriano's expected comeback for Inter Milan.

Adriano could be ready for Inter's next Serie A clash with Reggina, with Ibrahimovic acting as chief motivator and personal trainer for the Brazilian.

Gilmar Rinaldi, Adriano's agent, revealed: "Ibra is continually motivating and helping him. In the last few weeks, his support has been invaluable. He's been fantastic."

Dunga tells Brazil to concentrate on the football

TERESOPOLIS, Brazil (Reuters) - Brazil coach Dunga has told his team not to get involved in gamesmanship and petty arguments during the World Cup qualifiers.

Brazil, the only team to have played at all 18 World Cups and winners of a record five, kick off their campaign to qualify for the 2010 finals in South Africa in Colombia on Sunday.

They host Ecuador in Rio de Janeiro three days later as they start an 18-match campaign that will take two years and involves home and away games against every other side in South America.

"We mustn't get into arguments or start using gamesmanship, Brazil don't know how to do these things," Dunga told reporters. "We just have to play football."

Although Brazil qualified comfortably for the 2006 World Cup, they struggled in earlier South American qualifiers.

They lost six matches on their way to the 2002 finals and also stuttered to the 1994 tournament in the United States, losing to Bolivia at high altitude along the way.

"The difficulties are different from any other tournament and you have to be ready for it," said Dunga. "You're playing a game where the whole country has been preparing to face Brazil."

"You can get booed at the airport, other things happen, but you have to be prepared to play," he added.

"Brazilian players like a challenge. The bigger the difficulties, the better they play."

Brazil begins training for World Cup qualifying

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Brazil began a five-day preparation period Tuesday ahead of its debut in 2010 World Cup qualifying.

Led by Ronaldinho and Kaka, Brazil will visit Colombia on Sunday and play Ecuador three days later at Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro. The duo arrived at Brazil's training camp outside Rio along with 20 other players summoned by manager Dunga for the first two matches in the South American qualifying tournament.

"The World Cup starts now," Kaka told reporters. "We know it's a big responsibility and we need to get good results early in these initial matches."

Dunga, a former player who replaced Carlos Alberto Parreira following Brazil's quarter-final elimination at the World Cup in Germany, has revamped the Brazilian squad as it tries to secure a spot at the World Cup in South Africa.

"All 22 players here are fighting for a spot in the starting lineup," Dunga said. "We still need to make some evaluations before we decide who will play."

Only nine players from Dunga's current list were included in last year's World Cup roster. AC Milan striker Ronaldo and Inter Milan forward Adriano are some of the players left out from Dunga's team.

Dunga will not be able to count on injured Chelsea defender Alex, who was replaced by Werder Bremen's Naldo for the first two matches.

The team underwent a light physical session on Tuesday.

Brazil will play two other qualifying matches later this year - against Peru and Uruguay in November.

Liverpool want scoring sensation Afonso Alves

Liverpool are weighing up a move for Heerenveen sensation Afonso Alves.

The Mirror says scouts from Anfield were at Heerenveen at the weekend to watch Brazilian striker Afonso Alves rattle in an incredible seven goals to set a scoring record in the Dutch League.

The Brazil international was top scorer in Holland last season with 34 goals, but when he demanded a move Heerenveen priced him out of the market at £12 million.

Benitez knows Peter Crouch could leave in January and will seek to replace him with Alves.

Seleção: Dunga Explains Ceni And Adriano Absences

Brazil Coach Dunga has explained why he chose not to call up either a recovering Adriano (Internazionale) or São Paulo’s on-song veteran keeper Rogério Ceni for the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers that mark the start of the seleção campaign for a place in South Africa 2010…

Despite praising the SPFC keeper on Brazilian cable channel SporTV, Dunga reminded both analysts and viewers that “Rogério is an idol in Brazil and did well when he was called up to serve the seleção in Russia, but he’s 34 and we need to think of a World Cup in 2010, not just now”, he stressed.

He also repeated his confidence in both Júlio César and Doni, despite certain sectors not being convinced by either goalie. “I myself am convinced that they’re worthy of the task. Doni was great in the Copa América and Júlio César has also shown his potential in the friendlies as well as at club level”, he explained.

With Adriano he maintained his hard line. “Adriano needs to help himself first because he’s no poor little thing. He needs to give a chance to himself before he can be given another chance at international level”, he underlined. “If a person doesn’t want to dig himself out of trouble first of all then there’s no point.”

Daily Video : Afonso scores 7 for Heerenveen against Heracles

Striker Afonso Alves keen to move on after seven-goal spree

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Brazilian international Afonso Alves underlined his scoring credentials when he hit seven goals for Heerenveen on Sunday to set a Dutch first division record.

The striker, who wants to join a more high-profile club, hopes his effort in a 9-0 thrashing of Heracles Almelo would have been noted by some of Europe's elite.

"I needed to score to find my form again, so now I can focus on the future with confidence," Alves told RTL4 television.

The 26-year-old striker registered a hat-trick between the 10th and 18th minutes and added four more goals within nine minutes in the second half.

Alves had hoped his status as top scorer, with 34 goals, in the Dutch league last season would attract interest from the more glamorous clubs in the continent.

But Heerenveen frustrated the striker by setting the asking price too high. He now hopes his exploits against Heracles will give him the chance to find a club more to his liking during January's transfer window.

Daniel Alves admits Sevilla in crisis

Daniel Alves admits Sevilla are in crisis after yesterday's 1-0 home defeat to Deportivo La Coruna.

The Brazilian fullback was one of the few Sevilla players willing to speak with journalists after the game and said: "We are not the Sevilla as always.

"We're worried because we've lost our form and our identity.

"We're playing too direct and need to work hard to fix this. In the last two years we have won great respect, but now we're losing at home to teams that theoretically are weaker than us."

Man Utd may send Anderson back to Portugal

Manchester United's £17 million midfielder Anderson is being linked with a return to Portugal.

The Sunday Mirror says there is a possibility of a return to a club in the Portuguese League for the rest of the season so he can continue his footballing education.

It's reported United decided to buy him 12 months ahead of schedule because they were worried about increasing interest in the Brazilian from other top clubs in Europe.

Injured defender Alex replaced by Naldo For Qualifiers

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) - Injured Chelsea defender Alex was dropped from Brazil's roster for the team's debut in the World Cup qualifying tournament next week.

Werder Bremen's Naldo will replace Alex in Brazil's first two qualifiers - against Colombia on Oct. 14 in Bogota and against Ecuador three days later in Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian Soccer Confederation said Sunday.

It was the second consecutive time Alex was cut from Brazil's squad because of an injury. He had already missed the friendlies against the United States and Mexico earlier this year.

FC Barcelona's Ronaldinho and AC Milan's Kaka will lead Brazil's team in the South American qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup. The team will begin its preparation on Tuesday in Rio de Janeiro.

Only nine players from coach Dunga's current list were included in last year's World Cup roster in Germany, when the five-time world champion was eliminated in the quarterfinals by eventual runner-up France. Among those, only Ronaldinho, Kaka and Gilberto Silva were starters.

Brazil will play two other qualifying matches later this year - against Peru and Uruguay in November.

Barcelona tracking Uniao Leiria attacker William

Barcelona are tracking Brazilian striker Jorge William Baidek.
William is currently playing for Portugal's Uniao Leiria and counts on Roberto de Assis, the brother of Barca star Ronaldinho, as his agent.