The chances of a Superclasico between Argentina and Brazil happening in June is very unlikely, but the South American giants are busy with their respective preparations for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in the winter. And on Sunday, Argentina face Estonia while Brazil take on Japan a day later.
Argentina and Brazil were supposed to meet on June 11 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, in Melbourne. But Argentina pulled out of the friendly, leaving hosts Australia and Brazil fuming. Brazil are likely to play an African team to fill the June 11 slot.
It's also worth noting that FIFA has ordered Argentina and Brazil to play their abandoned World Cup qualifying match. Both the teams qualified for Qatar 2022, which starts on November 21, without needing to play each other. Now, the bitter rivals will need to play their essentially meaningless 18th qualifying game, possibly in September.
For now, the focus is on the friendlies. Here's all you need to know about Sunday's Argentina vs Estonia football match:
Argentina are on a high after their 3-0 win over Italy in the one-off Finalissima. Their elaborate celebration after the Wembley win prompted Brazilian Neymar to ask if 'Did they win World Cup'.
And on Sunday, Argentina are certain to pick up another win against lowly Estonia, ranked 110th. Lionel Scaloni's Albiceleste are also enjoying a 32-match unbeaten run (21 wins and 11 draws). This is their longest unbeaten run.
Thomas Haberli's Estonia have defeated San Marino 2-0 in their last match in Group 2 of the UEFA Nations League. Estonia are yet to qualify for the World Cup.
This is the first-ever meeting between Argentina and Estonia.
Argentina vs Estonia match and telecast details
Match: Argentina vs Estonia, international friendly
Date: June 5 (Sunday), 2022
Time: 11:30 PM India (IST)/ 8:00 PM local/3:00 PM Argentina
Venue: El Sadar Stadium, Pamplona, Spain
How to watch Argentina vs Estonia football match
Argentina vs Estonia international friendly match will not be available in India. But fans in Argentina can watch the match on TyC Sports Play, TyC Sports Argentina.
For global TV listing, click HERE.
Likely starting XIs
Argentina: Franco Arman; Nahuel Molina, German Pezzella, Lisandro Martinez, Marcos Acuna; Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Alejandro Gomez; Lionel Messi, Julian Alvarez, Joaquin Correa.
Estonia: Karl Jakob Hein; Joonas Tamm, Marten Kuusk, Karol Mets; Sergei Zenjov, Vladislav Kreida, Mattias Kait, Konstantin Vassiljev, Vlasiy Sinyavskiy; Henri Anier, Sergei Zenjov.
