BRAZIL: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Argentina's Alejandro Sabella has hopes for a Argentina-Brazil World Cup final

Record ID: 187302

  • Title: BRAZIL: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Argentina's Alejandro Sabella has hopes for a Argentina-Brazil World Cup final
  • Date: 5th December 2013
  • Summary: COSTA DO SAUIPE, BAHIA, BRAZIL (DECEMBER 05, 2013) (REUTERS) ARGENTINA COACH ALEJANDRO SABELLA WALKING BY POOL AREA (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ARGENTINA COACH ALEJANDRO SABELLA, SAYING: "We are facing a setback that means, I suppose no injury is ever good for any player. But well the fact that he is doing everything necessary to have the best possible recovery with the competitions he has with his club and the national team in mind." SABELLA WALKING AWAY FROM JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ARGENTINA COACH ALEJANDRO SABELLA, SAYING: "I can't be in the Brazilians' heads. But ultimately, if they are champions, according to this wish it is natural from a Brazilian point of view. So, if they are sure they are going to win the final it is likely they'd like to beat Argentina in the final." REPORTER TALKING TO SABELLA
  • Embargoed: 20th December 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Brazil
  • Country: Brazil
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAC012BFZVSK6OIOE5EPF6EUTW8
  • Story Text: Argentine national coach Alejandro Sabella speculated about the possibility of a Brazil-Argentina World Cup final on Thursday (December 5) while in Brazil for the rapidly approaching draw.
    The group-stage draw for the 2014 World Cup will take place at the Costa do Sauipe resort on Brazil's Atlantic coast on Friday (December 6) with Argentina, third in the FIFA rankings, among the eight top seeds.
    Argentina's chances for success could be determined by how well star player Lionel Messi manages to recover by the time the world championship kicks off.
    Recent reports have Messi in good spirits and expecting to recover fully from his thigh injury in time for the beginning of the World Cup in June of 2014.
    Sabella said that injury is always a setback for player and team but Messi is doing everything he can to get back into form.
    "We are facing a setback that means, as I suppose no injury is ever good for any player. But well the fact that he is doing everything necessary to have the best possible recovery with the competitions he has with his club and the national team in mind," Sabella said.
    Messi, Argentina's big hope for a third world title next year, is recovering from the injury that has sidelined him until next month with physiotherapy sessions at the Argentina team's training complex on the outskirts of the capital.
    The Argentina captain suffered a thigh strain playing for Barcelona last month and returned home at the weekend for the second phase of his recovery. He will go back to Barcelona on January 2 to prepare for his comeback.
    Since helping Argentina book their ticket to the World Cup finals with two goals in a 5-2 win in Paraguay in September, Messi has missed two qualifiers and two friendlies due to injury.
    When speculating about what team Brazil might like to beat in a World Cup final, Sabella said the host country might enjoy beating his squad - a long time continental rival.
    "I can't be in the Brazilians' heads. But ultimately, if they are champions, according to this wish it is natural from a Brazilian point of view. So, if they are sure they are going to win the final it is likely they'd like to beat Argentina in the final," Sabella said.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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