Kolkata is known to have the most ardent and passionate football lovers and every single one of them, is now looking forward to the upcoming Copa America final between Brazil and Argentina.
Brazil and Argentina will lock horns in the final of Copa America on Sunday. The match will start at 5:30 am IST, and the fans in Kolkata are ready to support Argentina and their favourite player 'Lionel Messi'.
Argentina Fan Club in Kolkata has already started decorating their terrace with the flags of Argentina and they have also put in pictures of Lionel Messi and late Diego Maradona.
The Secretary of the Argentina Football Club, Uttam Saha is confident that Messi and Argentina will easily brush aside the challenge of Brazil even though the hosts have striker Neymar in their ranks.
"We are not tense, Argentina has been playing well, we are sure that Messi and company will win the tournament. We will celebrate throughout the day, Messi has been playing well. Messi has been in good form, the match is between Argentina and Brazil. The Euro 2020 final is also there tomorrow, but Copa America has more fans. The quality is nice, South American teams play with the same style India does," Saha told ANI.
"Bengal football lovers comprise 90 per cent of Argentina supporters, most of them will support Messi tomorrow. We hope Messi will play well tomorrow, and Argentina will win. When Messi is there, anything is possible. In whichever team, Messi is there, that team will always be the favourites. We wanted to go to Brazil to watch Copa America, but because of Covid-19, the plans got disrupted so we will now cheer on Argentina from our homes," he added.
Talking about Argentina's chances in the final, hardcore fan Pragnan Shah said: "Argentina are the favourites, this is the most important in Messi's career. Argentina's players have worked really hard in this Copa America tournament. We will play against Brazil in the finals, we are sure that Messi and Argentina will win the Copa America and I am sure they will make every one of us proud. We have this thing organised, where we will be watching the match live together, the terrace has been decorated with pictures of Messi and Maradona."
"Well you can say that Brazil has a lot of star players, but if you look at Euro 2020, France, Portugal, Germany had a lot of star players, however, they could not qualify for the semifinals. They lost to new teams and that is what is happening here, Argentina is winning by bigger margins. Brazil has the mild advantage of playing at their home turf, but we are going to defeat Brazil," he added.
Two of the biggest footballing nations in South America, Argentina and Brazil, have a date with destiny on Saturday at the world-famous Maracana in Rio de Janeiro to decide who will be the 2021 CONMEBOL Copa America champion.
This action-pack encounter will witness Lionel Messi on one side and Neymar on the other as the two friends turn fierce rivals on the night. Argentina is yet to be beaten in this year's competition. Lionel Scaloni's side finished top of their group with three wins and a draw against Chile. In the quarterfinal, they won 3-0 against Ecuador to progress to the final four. La Albiceleste has reached the final in four of the last six editions but has not lifted the trophy in almost 30 years; they will hope to put an end to that run against Brazil.
A motivated and inspirational Lionel Messi has been the star for Argentina in the 2021 Copa America so far alongside the likes of Lautaro Martinez, Rodrigo de Paul, and their new hero, the goalkeeper Emiliano 'Dibu' Martinez.
( With inputs from ANI )
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