Brazil vs Uruguay 2018 World Cup: Barcelona Stars Luis Suarez, Neymar Bet Burger on CONMEBOL Showdown
Neymar and Luis Suarez have noted their close relationship on Barcelona as a key to the club's success. While the two will be on opposite sides of the pitch when Brazil and Uruguay face off in a crucial CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier, they are still planning to have some friendly fun with the match.
The two superstars have decided to bet a hamburger on the encounter as a friendly sign of rivalry. But the battle on the pitch will be anything but amicable.
Suaraz Set to Return for Uruguay
Uruguay sits second in the qualifiers out of 10 teams, while Brazil is tied for fifth with Chile and Colombia for the final spot in the qualifiers. Brazil holds the spot for now thanks mainly to its positive goal differential.
But that could change with Suarez making his return for Uruguay. The striker had been suspended from his international team due to the biting incident during the World Cup a few years ago. Uruguay's top scorer could truly damage Brazil's often suspect back line. Suarez has 44 goals in 82 caps for Uruguay, and he is likely to continue extending his lead based on his tremendously dominant play for club and country.
Uruguay's offense has already been nothing short of spectacular through four games, scoring a total of nine goals. Shockingly, only one has come from Edinson Cavani, who is the main offensive threat in Suarez's absence. Diego Godin has led the way with three goals thus far despite being a defender.
Win for Brazil Protects Team From Paraguay
For Brazil, this game is important to set the stage for its next match-up, which will greatly test the team's offensive play against Paraguay.
Neymar has yet to have a major impact on the competition. He hasn't scored a single goal for his nation in the qualifiers. If Brazil is to make a deep run in the tournament, then Neymar must be at his absolute best.
He is currently fifth on Brazil's all-time top scorers list behind Pele, Ronaldo, Romario and Zico. However, the superstar is only 31 goals behind Pele, and at age 24, he has at least five or six years to continue padding his stats and potentially pass Pele in the rankings.
A win for Uruguay in this head-to-head keeps the nation in second place in the tournament. It also creates some distance from Paraguay, which has eight points and sits in third. A loss for Brazil won't knock the team out of the final qualification spot, but a further loss in the next match could spell early doom.
A win for Brazil hoists it into second place in the standings.
Start Time: 8 p.m. ET
The game can be viewed on beIN Sports USA.
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