Brazil and Argentina to play friendly in Australia

Brazil and Argentina will meet in an international friendly in Australia on June 9, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said on Thursday.

The match will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which has the capacity to seat more than 100,000 spectators, the CBF said in a brief statement on its official website.

The teams last clashed in November, when Brazil won a World Cup qualifier 3-0 at the Mineirao stadium in Belo Horizonte.

Both national teams are understood to have committed to fielding their best players, thus Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi and Neymar will be pitted against each other.

Brazil currently lead the World Cup qualifying standings for the South American zone, and a victory in their match against Uruguay next month will guarantee Tite's team a berth in Russia next year.

Argentina are currently ranked fifth, eight points behind Brazil.

Only the top four teams from South America's CONMEBOL group will automatically qualify for the World Cup while the fifth-ranked side will earn a playoff spot.

source: Xinhua