Argentina and Brazil search for Messi and Neymar replacements ahead of World Cup qualifiers

SAO PAULO (AP) — There will be no Lionel Messi for Argentina and no Neymar for Brazil in two decisive rounds of South American World Cup qualifying.

Ahead of games against tough rivals, coaches Lionel Scaloni and Dorival Júnior are still wondering who will replace their stars.

Defending champion Argentina, the leader with 25 points after 12 matches, could secure its place in the 2026 World Cup within days. It plays at second-place Uruguay on Friday.

Argentina then hosts Brazil in Buenos Aires next Tuesday. The last time the two South American powerhouses clashed, Argentina won 1-0 at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

On Thursday, fifth-place Brazil hosts fourth-place Colombia. Also this week, Paraguay will host Chile, Peru will take on Bolivia, and Ecuador hosts Venezuela.

The top six teams will secure direct berths to the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The seventh-place team among the 10 of the region will still have a chance to qualify through an international playoff.

Brazil vs. Colombia

Brazil could end this month securing its spot in the next World Cup or lagging in seventh place. That means pressure on coach Júnior.

Neymar’s absence led Júnior to try out Savinho up front alongside Rodrygo and Vinicius Júnior, with Raphinha behind them in Tuesday’s training session. Brazil’s coach hinted that would be the most likely lineup against Colombia on Thursday at the Mané Garrincha Stadium in Brasilia.

But then local media reported another formation was tested Wednesday, with João Pedro as a target man up front and Vinicius Júnior as his pairing. Raphinha and Rodrygo trained right behind them to close gaps in the midfield.

If neither of those settings work, coach Júnior will still be able to move Raphinha up front on the wing or try out teenager Estêvão, one of Brazil’s biggest prospects, in the same position. Then Rodrygo could play center forward, as in other occasions.

“I am trying to keep players in the position they play at the clubs since the start, and I make changes according what rivals bring,” Júnior said Wednesday during a press conference in which he did not reveal his starting lineup.

Several Brazil players will miss the match against Argentina if they are booked against Colombia: defenders Danilo and Gabriel Magalhães; midfielders André, Bruno Guimarães; and strikers Matheus Cunha, Raphinha and Rodrygo.

Brazil drew against Venezuela and Uruguay in its two latest World Cup qualifying matches, with coach Júnior arguing he was “starting a recovery process” by testing several players in different positions.

Uruguay vs. Argentina

With Messi out due to a muscle injury, Scaloni hoped he could field a powerful duo up front in Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez at the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo. But on Wednesday he also lost Martínez — the Inter Milan striker — to a muscle fatigue problem.

A win would make Argentina the first South American team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

Álvarez has scored 23 goals for Atletico Madrid this season. But instead of an aggressive pairing with Martínez, he is more likely to have midfielder Thiago Almada in Messi’s role and be all alone up front.

Messi injured his left thigh adductor muscle in Inter Miami’s 2-1 victory over Atlanta United on Sunday in the MLS.

Argentine players might want to be cautious in Montevideo to avoid risking suspension for the match against Brazil. Defender Nicolás Otamendi and midfielders Leandro Paredes, Enzo Fernández, Rodrigo de Paul, and Alexis Mac Allister could miss the clash if they get a yellow against Uruguay.

Argentina will play a friendly on Saturday against a local U-20 team at Huracán Stadium in Buenos Aires in a fundraiser for the reconstruction of a hospital damaged by a storm that killed 16 people in the region of Bahía Blanca two weeks ago.

“We needed to do something within the international window,” Scaloni said.

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AP journalist Debora Rey contributed to this report from Buenos Aires.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer