Brazil winger Neymar. (Photo : Getty Images)
Two of the top teams in the CONMEBOL 2018 World Cup qualifiers, Brazil (2-1-1, 7 points) and Uruguay (3-1-0, 9 points), are scheduled to face each other at the Itaipava Arena Pernambuco in Recife, Brazil on Friday, March 25th to conclude matchday 5 of the said tournament.
Two FC Barcelona superstars, Uruguay's Luis Suárez and Brazil's Neymar, are also set to clash in the highly-anticipated match that will surely provide high-scoring action for the fans.
Brazil is coming off an impressive 3-0 victory during the tourney's last matchday on Nov. 17th versus struggling squad Peru at the Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, as reported by The Guardian.
Bayern Munich winger Douglas Costa opened the scoring at the 22nd minute of the match to give Seleção a 1-0 lead at the end of the first half.
The Canarinho extended the lead with two more goals in the second half after midfielder Renato Augusto, who now plays for Beijing Guoan in the Chinese Super League, and Atletico Madrid defender Filipe Luis struck the back of the net of Peruvian goalkeeper Diego Penny at the 57th and 76th minutes respectively.
It was the second win of head coach Dunga's boys in the competitions after beating lowly Venezuela in matchday 2, 3-1. They lost their opening game to reigning Copa America champions Chile, 0-2, while the team settled for a 1-1 draw with powerhouse squad Argentina during matchday 3.
Meanwhile, Uruguay has dominated three of their first four opponents so far, opening the tournament with a 2-0 win over Uruguay and a 3-0 decision against Colombia in the second matchday.
Los Charrúas was upset by Ecuador in the third round, 1-2, before they convincingly beat Chile, 3-0, in the previous matchday at their home field of Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay on Nov. 17th of last year, as per Goal.
In the game against Chile, three players from manager Óscar Tabárez's squad scored a goal, namely Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin, Getafe wingback Alvaro Pereira, and Juventus defender Martin Caceres at the 23rd, 61st, and 65th minutes respectively.
The predicted result is a close 3-2 win for Brazil.
Brazil starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Alisson; Alves, Gil, Miranda, Luis; Elias, Gustavo; Willian, Coutinho, Oscar; Neymar
Uruguay starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): Muslera; Pereira, Coates, Godin, Caceres; Corujo, Arevalo, Sanchez; Rolan, Suárez, Cavani
