July 14, 2007...11:55 am
Argentina And The Heat of Maracaibo
Maracaibo - where tomorrow’s final will be played - is the hottest and most humid of the Copa’s host cities providing a factor that might work against Argentina.
Sunday’s game at 18:05 will be the earliest kick-off they have yet faced and that after one day’s less recovery from their semi-final than the Brazil squad has enjoyed.
Temperatures in Maracaibo can touch 40° C and the coolest prediction for tomorrow’s game is 28° C. This will provide a new challenge as so far all of Argentina’s five games have been played at night, the earliest so far being the 19:50 kick-off in Barquisimeto against Peru. Otherwise they’ve played most of their football after 10pm.
Argentina are a side clearly in peak physical condition saving much of their best play for the second half of games - when they’ve scored 11 of their 16 goals. But as right-back Zanetti cautioned yesterday “we’ll have to take care that the heat doesn’t affect us.”
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