Rodrygo: “Without Neymar and Vini they will expect more from me”

Striker Rodrygo Goes, that next Wednesday morning he will definitely play as a starter against Argentina on the sixth day of the South American qualifiers for 2026 World Cup, He said this Saturday that, due to the absence of Neymar and Vinicius Junior Due to injuries, he knows more will be asked of him in the Brazilian team.

“I think they are going to expect more from me,” declared a player from the team in a press conference. real Madridwho regrets the injury sustained by his merengue teammate, added to Neymar.

“We are sad for Vini, my national team and club teammate,” He said in reference to the serious injury of his partner in the Brazilian attack and in Real Madrid, who had to stay out of the playing field for eight to ten weeks because of the rupture of the femoral biceps in his left leg.

Rodrygo admitted that Brazil, after the Thursday’s 1-2 loss in their visit to Colombia and in fifth place in the World Cup qualifiers, with only seven points in five games, will leave pressured against Argentinaleading the classification with twelve points.

However, he has already clarified this South American and World Soccer Classic “it is always a difficult and unpredictable match”, where respect prevails between both teams.

“I think they are going to respect us, just as we are going to respect them,” because it will be a game with “many dangerous players on the field”, declared Rodrygo, who among the Argentines was especially praised Lionel Messi. “There’s no way to deny it. He is one of the best players in the history of football and we have to be careful with him,” he said.

Rodrygo, 22, also said that despite his age he has been through “a lot of things in football” and that he can bring “experience” even at his young age, especially in a match against Argentina in Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro. “I think it will enter the ‘top 3’ of the most important games for me so far,” he declared.

About the strategy that the coach Fernando Diniz is in mind for the fight against Argentina, Rodrygo didn’t give too many hints. “He always asked us to press, always score, steal and recover the ball when lost,” he said.