Chile vs. Brazil: Date, Time, Live Stream for 2018 World Cup Qualifier
Chile and Brazil will kick off their qualification campaign for the 2018 World Cup with a mouth-watering clash in Santiago on Thursday, 8 October, pitting the Copa America champions against South America's most successful nation in World Cup history.
BeIN Sports USA will provide full coverage of the match, set to kick off at 12:30 a.m. BST/7:30 p.m. ET. Live streams will be available via beIN Sports' Connect app.
Both teams enter the match with serious injury concerns, giving some of the lesser stars a chance to shine on the big stage on Thursday. Let's have a look at the upcoming clash.
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Preview
Brazilian superstar Neymar will be one of many key players not playing on Thursday, as the Barcelona forward will miss the match due to a suspension, per Goal's Tom Webber. He joins Chile's Charles Aranguiz on the list of absentees, with the Bayer Leverkusen man out for months with a serious injury, per Tim Vickery of World Soccer.
Of the two, one could argue Aranguiz's absence will have the bigger impact. Neymar is one of the world's most uniquely gifted attackers, but Aranguiz was, arguably, the best performer at the 2015 Copa America, establishing himself as a key cog in Chile's midfield.
The 26-year-old is irreplaceable. The same could be said for Neymar, but luckily for the Selecao, they can count on one of the most in-form forwards in football as a replacement. Douglas Costa has been nothing short of sensational since moving to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, as shared by STV Sport's Stefan Bienkowski:
Speaking to Sport (h/t Goal's Webber), Costa credits Bayern manager Pep Guardiola for his seamless transition to German football:
"I have only worked with Guardiola for three months but it feels like longer. I get along very well with him and I see this happening with all my team-mates. We understand his ideas and his methods very well. It's great working with my team-mates and with Guardiola's style. It makes you feel good in the team.
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Along with Aranguiz's absence, the star duo of Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal are both doubtful for Thursday's clash, per Reuters (for the Guardian).
Sanchez has only just returned to top form, taking plenty of time working back to his best after the Copa America. He scored twice against Manchester United during Arsenal's last Premier League match.
Vidal joined Costa in Bavaria during the summer after a successful spell with Juventus, and he, too, has settled in nicely, but he's been limited to a role off the bench in the last two Bundesliga matches against Mainz 05 and Borussia Dortmund.
Sanchez, Vidal and Aranguiz made up the core of the Chile side that won the Copa America on home soil this summer, with the former mainly responsible for the goals and the latter two teaming up to form one of the most physically strong midfield duos in all of football.
Coach Jorge Sampaoli will have to shuffle his squad a bit, which could lead to a larger role for Matias Fernandez, who isn't currently seeing consistent minutes with Fiorentina.
Brazil have no injury concerns on the defensive end, with the Paris Saint-Germain trio of Marquinhos, David Luiz and Thiago Silva all looking to make an impact.
On top of that, Zenit St. Petersburg forward Hulk has been in strong form of late, with an incredible five assists in his last two matches, per WhoScored.com.
ESPN FC's Michael Yokhin thinks Dunga should allow the big forward the same freedom he gets in Russia:
"If Dunga allows Hulk to roam around freely like he does at Zenit, the result could be devastating for Chile and Venezuela as the Selecao begin the road to World Cup qualification. Brazilians might be astonished to see Hulk calling the shots for the national team, but that is exactly what he is capable of right now. He just needs space to express himself without being pushed into a specific position. It remains to be seen whether he will get his wish.
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Even without all of the injuries, this would be a very difficult match to call, as the two teams are so evenly matched. Brazil appear to have the advantage in depth, however, and with Costa and Hulk both in devastating form, the advantage has to lie with the visitors.
That said, Chile have proven to be a very difficult side to beat at home, and if both Vidal and Sanchez are fit in time for the match, the Copa America champions will fancy their chances of beating their rivals from Brazil, for good reason.
