Brazil and Argentina will square off again after the recent Copa America final that saw the Argentinean emerge victorious over their traditional South American rivals.
Ahead of the matchup, former Brazilian midfielder Felipe Melo spoke to TyC Sports (via Marca) on various topics, including the intense rivalry on the pitch between the Argentines and the Brazilians.
When the specific question was asked by the Argentine media outlet about how the Argentine talisman Lionel Messi could best be stopped on the pitch, the former midfielder spoke about the dirty tackle that the Argentine forward sustained during Argentina’s FIFA World Cup Qualifying fixture against Venezuela and suggested in jest that perhaps employing again in dirty tactics could perhaps throw Messi off his game.
“To stop Messi, I have to elbow him in the head. What am I going to do with Messi? There is nothing to do – he is from another planet!” Melo said, laughing.
“Never break it [Messi’s head], no, those players cannot be injured! They do good for football.”
Brazil will be going all out to stop Messi this weekend as the two gladiators in South American football meet in the second match of the latest round of World Cup Qualifying fixtures, hoping to secure this win and continue their undefeated run during the qualifying rounds against their CONMEBOL opponents.
Argentina, on the other hand, of course hopes to catch up to Brazil in the standings as the Seleção stands atop the standings.