Argentina and Brazil search for Messi and Neymar replacements ahead of World Cup qualifiers

SAO PAULO (AP) — There will be no Lionel Messi for Argentina and no Neymar for Brazil in two decisive rounds of South American World Cup qualifying.

Ahead of games against tough rivals, coaches Lionel Scaloni and Dorival Júnior are still wondering who will replace their stars.

Defending champion Argentina, the leader with 25 points after 12 matches, could secure its place in the 2026 World Cup within days. It plays at second-place Uruguay on Friday.

Argentina then hosts Brazil in Buenos Aires next Tuesday. The last time the two South American powerhouses clashed, Argentina won 1-0 at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

On Thursday, fifth-place Brazil hosts fourth-place Colombia. Also this week, Paraguay will host Chile, Peru will take on Bolivia, and Ecuador hosts Venezuela.

The top six teams will secure direct berths to the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The seventh-place team among the 10 of the region will still have a chance to qualify through an international playoff.

Brazil could end this month securing its spot in the next World Cup or lagging in seventh place. That means pressure on coach Júnior.

Neymar’s absence led Júnior to try out Savinho up front alongside Rodrygo and Vinicius Júnior, with Raphinha behind them in Tuesday's training session. Brazil's coach hinted that would be the most likely lineup against Colombia on Thursday at the Mané Garrincha Stadium in Brasilia.

But then local media reported another formation was tested Wednesday, with João Pedro as a target man up front and Vinicius Júnior as his pairing. Raphinha and Rodrygo trained right behind them to close gaps in the midfield.

If neither of those settings work, coach Júnior will still be able to move Raphinha up front on the wing or try out teenager Estêvão, one of Brazil’s biggest prospects, in the same position. Then Rodrygo could play center forward, as in other occasions.

“I am trying to keep players in the position they play at the clubs since the start, and I make changes according what rivals bring,” Júnior said Wednesday during a press conference in which he did not reveal his starting lineup.

Several Brazil players will miss the match against Argentina if they are booked against Colombia: defenders Danilo and Gabriel Magalhães; midfielders André, Bruno Guimarães; and strikers Matheus Cunha, Raphinha and Rodrygo.

Brazil drew against Venezuela and Uruguay in its two latest World Cup qualifying matches, with coach Júnior arguing he was “starting a recovery process” by testing several players in different positions.

With Messi out due to a muscle injury, Scaloni hoped he could field a powerful duo up front in Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez at the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo. But on Wednesday he also lost Martínez — the Inter Milan striker — to a muscle fatigue problem.

A win would make Argentina the first South American team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

Álvarez has scored 23 goals for Atletico Madrid this season. But instead of an aggressive pairing with Martínez, he is more likely to have midfielder Thiago Almada in Messi's role and be all alone up front.

Messi injured his left thigh adductor muscle in Inter Miami's 2-1 victory over Atlanta United on Sunday in the MLS.

Argentine players might want to be cautious in Montevideo to avoid risking suspension for the match against Brazil. Defender Nicolás Otamendi and midfielders Leandro Paredes, Enzo Fernández, Rodrigo de Paul, and Alexis Mac Allister could miss the clash if they get a yellow against Uruguay.

Argentina will play a friendly on Saturday against a local U-20 team at Huracán Stadium in Buenos Aires in a fundraiser for the reconstruction of a hospital damaged by a storm that killed 16 people in the region of Bahía Blanca two weeks ago.

“We needed to do something within the international window," Scaloni said.

AP journalist Debora Rey contributed to this report from Buenos Aires.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Brazil's Vinicius Junior boots the ball in front of Joao Pedro during a national soccer team training session, in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Brazil's coach Dorival Junior controls the ball during a national soccer team training session, in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Argentina's players warm up during a training session ahead of a World Cup 2026 soccer qualifier against Uruguay, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Argentina's coach Lionel Scaloni watches his players during a training session ahead of a World Cup 2026 soccer qualifier against Uruguay, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)