As Gabriel Jesus and Richarlison prepare to face each other in the North London Derby between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend, there’s even more at stake for the two strikers.
As pointed out today by ESPN Brasil, the players are in a personal battle to be the national team’s number nine in the World Cup in Qatar.
Out of the two, only Richarlison was called up for the current international break, and the Tottenham star did great, with three goals in two games, keeping an impressive scoring streak for Brazil going.
But even though Jesus was left out of the squad, that doesn’t mean he was forgotten.
The Brazilian media continues to show big confidence that he’ll be in the list, and was only put aside so there’d be more room for other attacking players to be tested.
ESPN Brasil still sound confident that it’s the Arsenal player who will be a starter in the World Cup, pointing out he should have the manager’s preference.
“Gabriel Jesus watched from his home in London. However, Arsenal’s number 9 is one of Tite’s favourites and the most quoted to keep the place, despite Richarlison’s great recent performance,” ESPN writes.
“Now, the two will have one more chance to prove to coach Tite who most deserves the spot. The North London Derby, which is already worth a lot in itself, could be worth even more: the starting place for Brazil in the World Cup.”
With the national team staff always keeping an eye on the Premier League, there’s an extra reason for Tite to watch Arsenal versus Tottenham at the weekend.
