South America's marathon qualifying tournament reaches game-day 13 (out of 18) this weekend and is highlighted by Brazil's trip to Uruguay on Saturday. The two nations have seven World Cup and 22 South American titles between them and their every meeting recalls the famous Uruguay upset of Brazil, the Maracanazo, in which the Uruguayans snatched the 1950 World Cup on Brazilian soil. Uruguay, on 17 points, needs a win to get itself into one of the direct qualifying slots, while Brazil, currently second on 21, will be anxious to maintain its lofty position. Brazil has never won a qualifier at the Centenario.
Surprise leader Paraguay, which will be without several first-choice players on Saturday, will be hoping to close in on a South Africa 2010 berth when it hosts Chile, four points below it on 20 points. In Buenos Aires, Colombia faces a tough task against Diego Maradona's Argentina, which are on 14 and 19 points respectively. Defeat would all but end the visitor's chances, while anything less than maximum points for the host would threaten its automatic qualification aspirations.
Bolivia (12 points) welcomes unpredictable Venezuela (13), whose squad includes MLS players Alejandro Moreno (Columbus) and Jorge Rojas (New York). Peru (7) hosts Ecuador, which on 14 points desperately needs a win if it is to participate in its third consecutive World Cup.