Doha -
A step away from reaching where no other Mexican team had reached before.
Tigres will seek on Sunday against the newly crowned Copa Libertadores champions, Brazilian Palmeiras, to reach the final of the Club World Cup, a milestone never achieved by a representative of the Concacaf.
The Education City Stadium in Rayan will be the stage for this America derby (1:00 PM Ecuador time) between two teams in search of their first world title.
This will be the first occasion in which two teams from the American continent face each other in the Club World Cup since the Brazilian Gremio de Porto Alegre defeated the Mexican Pachuca in the semifinals of the 2017 edition.
The Brazilian team coached by Portuguese coach Abel Ferreira faces the world championship as the main threat to Bayern Munich to win the title.
Not in vain, in the four occasions that a non-European team won the Club World Cup, the glory went to a Brazilian team; Corinthians in 2000 and 2012, Sao Paulo in 2005 and Internacional in 2006.
Palmeiras without Breno Lopes
The Libertadores champion was the last team to secure their ticket to the Qatari tournament, after defeating Santos 1-0 in the final on January 30.
Breno Lopes made history by scoring a header goal in the 9th minute of added time, but the forward will not be able to repeat the feat in Qatar.
The Club World Cup regulations establish that only players who were already in the club before the closing of the international transfer window, in early November, can be registered, and Lopes was announced as a new player for Verdão when the deadline had already passed.
"We saw part of the Tigres game, we know they are a strong team. They are focused on the World Cup
Together for the second title. Club World Cup #AvantiPalestra
— SE Palmeiras (@Palmeiras) February 6, 2021
Despite Lopes' absence, the most decorated club in the Brazilian championship (10 titles) has enough arguments to present itself as a stronger team than the South Korean Ulsan Hyundai, Tigres' rival in the quarterfinals (2-1).
One of them is the Brazilian forward Luiz Adriano, former player of Ukrainian Shakhtar Donetsk, who returned to Brazil in 2019 after more than a decade in Europe.
The former AC Milan player had time to play a few minutes in the 2006 Club World Cup final, in which Internacional defeated FC Barcelona (2-1). Luiz Adriano can also boast of being the second player to have scored five goals in a single match in the UEFA Champions League after Leo Messi.
They also have Gabriel Menino, a versatile player who can play in midfield or right-back, and who is compared to Dani Alves by many.
On the other hand, the young and promising 18-year-old forward Gabriel Verón will not be present, being replaced at the last minute in the call-up by Lucas Esteves due to physical discomfort.
Another Palmeiras player with a past in Europe is the tough defender and defensive midfielder Felipe Melo, who is 37 years old.
"We saw part of the Tigres game, we know they are a strong team. They are focused on the World Cup", explained Melo. "The important thing is to maintain concentration as a group and continue dreaming."
"We are Tigres from Mexico and we come to make history!"
We are Tigres from Mexico and we come to make history! #TigresInQatar #ThisIsTigres
— Club Tigres Oficial (@TigresOficial) February 6, 2021
If Abel Ferreira was appointed coach of Palmeiras last October, replacing Vanderlei Luxemburgo, his Tigres counterpart, Brazilian Ricardo Ferretti has been leading the Mexican team since 2010.
"We are going step by step, we are not imagining that we are playing the final, which is possible,
but before that we have to face Palmeiras, which deserves all the respect", tempered Ferretti after defeating Ulsan with a brace from French forward André-Pierre Gignac, 35 years old, who will seek to increase his tally of 146 goals since he arrived in Mexico and make history with Tigres. (D)