“Brazil should be worried”. The phrase comes from Sergio Batista, the coach of Argentina’s Olympic football team, following their 2-1 victory over the Netherlands, and in the lead-up to the match against their great nemesis Brazil.
“We respect them a lot, like they do to us.” Batista said.
In one match up that was anticipated by many, Argentina and Brazil will play each other in the semi-finals of the Olympic football tournament. The winner will go for gold, while the loser will have to battle for bronze and cop a backlash from supporters back home.
A classic South American duel awaits us in Beijing with all or nothing up for grabs for both teams.
That’ss why Batista feels confident, without feeling cocky after his side’s win over the Dutch.
“Firstly, we will watch the videos to see how Brazil play and then we will draw our conclusions. We respect them a lot and I believe they are worried about facing Argentina, even though we feel the same about Brazil.”
The winner will play either Nigeria or Belgium for Olympic gold in Beijing.
For Batista, the recuperation is fundamental for Argentina’s chances against Brazil.
“We both had grueling quarter-final matches that lasted 120 minutes. The team that recovers both mentally and physically will play in the final. We came to the Olympics with the objective of defending the gold medal and we hope that this will be achieved”, Batista explained.
Argentina’s victory did come at a price.
Goalkeeper Oscar Ustari, who plays with Getafe in La Liga, suffered a hamstring injury.
He will be replaced by Napoli goalie, Nicolás Navarro.
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