Suarez not taking Jordan lightly in World Cup quest
14 Nov 2013 4:30 AM IST
Suarez - who has been in tremendous form for Liverpool with eight Premier League goals already this season - flew on a private jet to Amman for the first leg match that has captured the imagination of Jordanians hoping for an upset victory that could help their nation qualify for the World Cup finals for the first time in history.
The Jordanians are also excited about the possibility of being the only Arab side at next year’s tournament, with traditional regional superpowers Saudi Arabia and Iraq failing miserably in their qualifying campaigns.
‘Jordan will be very motivated to play us, just as teams are when they meet us in the World Cup and the Copa America,’ said Suarez.’We have to be careful. We know Jordan have fast outfield players and if you leave space, they could show their quality.’
Suarez scored twice against Fulham on Saturday but is not taking his club form for granted. ‘After the game against Fulham, it will be a big change because when you play with the national team it’s so different,’ said Suarez, who along with Paris Saint-Germain star Edinson Cavani forms a lethal forward combination for Uruguay.
The South Americans are no strangers to the World Cup, having won the tournament twice, in 1930 and 1950. At the last event in South Africa in 2010, they finished a creditable fourth.
Mexico eye recovery against New Zealand
MEXICO CITY: Mexico will seek to put their nightmarish World Cup qualifying campaign behind them on Wednesday when they host New Zealand in the first leg of a last-chance intercontinental playoff.
The Mexicans are usually overwhelming favorites against smaller football nations like the ‘All Whites’ at their imposing, 105,000-capacity Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
But El Tri won just once in five home games in the final qualifying round of the North, Central America and Caribbean (CONCACAF) group, finishing fourth out of six teams.
While the United States, Costa Rica and Honduras won direct tickets to Brazil, Mexico barely secured the playoff - a surprisingly poor showing for a powerhouse that was last absent from a World Cup in 1990.
The dismal results led the football federation to sack three managers in six weeks, finally handing the reins to Miguel Herrera last month for the two-game playoff.
The outspoken manager, who led Club America to a domestic title this year, voiced confidence that his squad can win the return leg in New Zealand on November 20 as well as Wednesday’s home tie. ‘The first thing we said was that we shouldn’t think about what happened in the past because that’s something we can’t resolve,’ Herrera said.
The Jordanians are also excited about the possibility of being the only Arab side at next year’s tournament, with traditional regional superpowers Saudi Arabia and Iraq failing miserably in their qualifying campaigns.
‘Jordan will be very motivated to play us, just as teams are when they meet us in the World Cup and the Copa America,’ said Suarez.’We have to be careful. We know Jordan have fast outfield players and if you leave space, they could show their quality.’
Suarez scored twice against Fulham on Saturday but is not taking his club form for granted. ‘After the game against Fulham, it will be a big change because when you play with the national team it’s so different,’ said Suarez, who along with Paris Saint-Germain star Edinson Cavani forms a lethal forward combination for Uruguay.
The South Americans are no strangers to the World Cup, having won the tournament twice, in 1930 and 1950. At the last event in South Africa in 2010, they finished a creditable fourth.
Mexico eye recovery against New Zealand
MEXICO CITY: Mexico will seek to put their nightmarish World Cup qualifying campaign behind them on Wednesday when they host New Zealand in the first leg of a last-chance intercontinental playoff.
The Mexicans are usually overwhelming favorites against smaller football nations like the ‘All Whites’ at their imposing, 105,000-capacity Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
But El Tri won just once in five home games in the final qualifying round of the North, Central America and Caribbean (CONCACAF) group, finishing fourth out of six teams.
While the United States, Costa Rica and Honduras won direct tickets to Brazil, Mexico barely secured the playoff - a surprisingly poor showing for a powerhouse that was last absent from a World Cup in 1990.
The dismal results led the football federation to sack three managers in six weeks, finally handing the reins to Miguel Herrera last month for the two-game playoff.
The outspoken manager, who led Club America to a domestic title this year, voiced confidence that his squad can win the return leg in New Zealand on November 20 as well as Wednesday’s home tie. ‘The first thing we said was that we shouldn’t think about what happened in the past because that’s something we can’t resolve,’ Herrera said.
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