Have we a head for heights? That is the question on the minds of Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari and his Uruguay counterpart, Victor Pua, as they prepare for vital high-altitude World Cup clashes against Bolivia and Ecuador, respectively, tomorrow.
As football fans the world over know, Brazil have struggled through the marathon Latin American round-robin qualifying group. The world's most-loved football team are fourth in the group, just two points ahead of Uruguay. If things remain that way, they will join Argentina, Paraguay and Ecuador in next summer's finals in South Korea and Japan, with Uruguay going into a play-off against Oceania winners Australia.
While group leaders Argentina are the only side to have qualified so far from South America, both Paraguay and Ecuador would look to have at least a foot in the door for next summer's finals. Paraguay can wrap up their qualification away to Venezuela tomorrow while, whatever happens against Uruguay, Ecuador should clinch their place in their last match away to Chile next week.
In the meantime, however, there is the question of that fourth-placed qualifying berth. On paper, the odds clearly favour Brazil. Not only are they two points ahead of Uruguay but their final two games are against Bolivia tomorrow and Venezuela next week, both of which have long since lost all chance of qualifying. In contrast, Uruguay are away to Ecuador tomorrow and their final game is at home to Argentina.
Brazil, then, notwithstanding losses to Paraguay, Chile, Ecuador and Argentina, are on track to maintain their proud record of having played at every World Cup finals tournament? Or are they?
For a start, there is that altitude problem. Even if Bolivia are already out, it is always difficult to play against them at nearly 11,000 feet above sea level in La Paz. Furthermore, a win against Brazil is still a win against Brazil.
Scolari had hoped to have a long weekend in which to prepare his players but FIFA's ruling that European-based players could turn out for their clubs last weekend meant that when Scolari turned up on Sunday at the Brazilian Federation's training facility in the mountain resort of Teresopolis, he had only 10 players to work with. Rain and fog then persuaded him to call off his intended training session.
Despite those hiccups, Scolari is doing his best to downplay concern about the altitude problem in La Paz: "We've already won a Copa America in Bolivia, so victory is achievable," he said.
Yes, but the Copa America was won at the end of a month-long tournament when Brazil had had plenty of time to acclimatise to the conditions. This week, most of the European based players - men like Cafu (Roma), Roberto Carlos (Real Madrid), Serghino (AC Milan), Emerson (Roma), Ronaldhino (Paris Saint-Germain), Elber (Bayern Munich), Denilson (Betis) and Rivaldo (Barcelona) - travelled to Brazil yesterday and today travel on again to Bolivia.
Uruguayan coach Pua is certainly worried about his side's clash with Ecuador in Quito, almost 9,000 feet above sea level. Earlier last month, he tried to organise squad training sessions in the high-altitude Mexican city of Toluca but the refusal of South America and European clubs to release players scuppered that.
Pua now reckons the only thing he can do with his squad, which includes European-based Fabian Carini (Juventus), Paolo Montero (Juventus), Pablo Garcia (Venezia), Gianni Guigou (Roma), Javier Chevanton (Lecce), Alvaro Recoba (Inter) and Dario Silva (Malaga), is travel to Quito as close to kick-off time as allowed by FIFA regulations.
Pua can console himself with the thought that, if things do go wrong against both Ecuador and Argentina, then he and Uruguay have the "consolation" of a 24-hour air trip, crossing 13 time zones, to play Australia just 72 hours after their final group game against Argentina. Have they a head for air travel, too?
