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Correa relishes chance to fill in for injured Messi
LIMA: Argentine forward Angel Correa says he is ready to fill the void left by talismanic striker Lionel Messi for their World Cup qualifier away at Peru on Thursday.
LIMA: Argentine forward Angel Correa says he is ready to fill the void left by talismanic striker Lionel Messi for their World Cup qualifier away at Peru on Thursday.
Five-times World Player of the Year Messi will miss the fixture with a thigh problem, giving the 21-year-old Atletico Madrid forward Correa a chance to add to his five caps.
“There is only one Messi,” Correa told reporters after training on Tuesday. “I am happy to be here and if I am to replace him then I will try to do it in the best way possible and help the team.”
Argentina are third in the South American qualifying group for the 2018 World Cup, a point adrift of leaders Uruguay approaching the halfway stage.
Peru sit ninth in the 10-team standings which will provide up to five qualifiers for the tournament in Russia.
CHILE LOOK TO GET BACK ON TRACK
Montevideo: Chile face a daunting trip to Ecuador on Thursday as they attempt to get their faltering 2018 World Cup qualification campaign back on track at a venue where they have never won.
After eight rounds of South America’s marathon qualifying campaign, two-time Copa America champions Chile are languishing in seventh place, two points adrift of Ecuador in fifth.
The failure of Chile’s star-studded squad to impose themselves on their rivals has been one of the biggest surprises of the qualifiers to date.
With back-to-back Copa America victories in 2015 and 2016, the Chileans have been the dominant force in competitive South American football in the past year.
However despite being able to call upon the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Arturo Vidal and Claudio Bravo, Chile have stumbled from one setback to the next so far.
Last month they were beaten 2-1 by Paraguay in Asuncion and were then held to a 0-0 draw by minnows Bolivia at home in Santiago.
