INTERNATIONAL: Thursday is a busy night for World C up qualifiers in South America. Argentina host Peru in Buenos Aires, while Brazil face Uruguay in Manaus. All four teams have it all to play for.

Argentina’s players know their coach has already said the clash against Peru will be a difficult one, so training on Wednesday took on something of an edge. The match will be played at the capital’s Monumental Stadium, so a home game for Argentina, but still a tricky fixture, especially with Lionel Messi not exactly on form, as coach Leonel Scaloni acknowledged:

''It's difficult that he has not performed well in the team. There will be moments in the team and I think that is the most important thing. In the end, the team moves forward, improves and I think Messi is fine where he is and feels comfortable with his teammates and that's what makes things better. It's clear that without the team his performance is not so evident. Today, we are doing well as a group, as a team and that is the most important thing."

Argentina are second in the 10-team South American qualifying group and will be keen to keep it that way, with the top four teams automatically qualifying for Qatar 2022.

Brazil are at the top of the group but still have a tough assignment against Uruguay. The match is set to be played at the Arena Amazonia in Manaus. Last week, Brazil fought back from a goal down to score three times in the second half, recording a 3-1 win over Venezuela to maintain their 100% qualifying record. As coach Tite said himself, Neymar will be key:

"I've talked to Neymar about his position and his function, about important situations, the joy he brings to the team. He is a player that has an important creative space within the team, trying to enjoy everything in the best possible conditions. There's other aspects that are important and we try to respect everyone's emotional situation."

Brazil are five-times world champions and are a full six points ahead of Argentina at the top of the group. Uruguay occupy the fourth spot, just one point ahead of Colombia, so the pressure is on the visitors on Thursday night.

^{PHOTO: ARGENTINA TRAINING, SOUNDBITES FROM ARGENTINA COACH, LIONEL SCALONI}