REUTERS

Brazil goalkeeper Ederson has called on his teammates to respond immediately when they face Chile on Friday morning (6:00am Bangladesh time), as pressure mounts on his side after they slumped to a fourth defeat in their last five CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers with a shock loss to Paraguay.

The record five-time World Cup winners suffered a 1-0 loss to Paraguay in September and now sit fifth in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying standings with 10 points from eight matches.

The 31-year-old Manchester City keeper wants his side to bounce back and regain their fans’ confidence.

Brazil also failed to impress at the Copa America, suffering a second straight quarterfinal exit from a major tournament after they lost to Croatia on penalties at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

“When you talk about the national team, you want victories and quick answers, but the process takes a long time,” Ederson told reporters on Tuesday.

“We know the impatience, the demands, but we have to respond immediately and start winning games to restore the confidence of the best football in the world and bring the fans back.”

Brazil are dealing with a lengthy injury list, with first-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker, winger Vinicius Jr. and centre backs Eder Militao and Gleison Bremer all sidelined.

“Unfortunately, because of a teammate’s injury, I ended up being given the opportunity. I hope to be fit to help the national team,” Ederson said.

Meanwhile, Argentina captain Lionel Messi is ready to return to their line-up when they play Venezuela early Friday morning (that fixture kicking off at 3:00am Bangladesh time), but midfielder Alexis Mac Allister’s availability is in doubt, manager Lionel Scaloni said.

Argentina were boosted by the return of Messi for their World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Bolivia after the 37-year-old recovered from a right ankle injury, which he picked up during the Copa America final against Colombia in July.

Messi, who plays for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami, had missed their qualifiers against Chile and Colombia.

“Messi is fine. He played several games for his team in recent weeks, after not being in the last call-up, which was what we had agreed because he needed to recover and get more minutes,” Scaloni told reporters on Tuesday.

“Leo is training with the squad and is ready to be part of the team to play against Venezuela, who will be a great rival.”

Liverpool’s Mac Allister was replaced at half time during the club’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League last weekend.

“He (Mac Allister) is training separately. We’ll see if he makes it to the first game,” Scaloni said.

“For now, he hasn’t been able to join us, and, well, we’ll make the decision if he’s part of the squad or on the bench or if he plays on Thursday. But it’s difficult for him to make it today.”