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MONTEVIDEO. — Lionel Messi and Neymar will be absent as Brazil and Argentina set out on the road to Russia – and redemption – when South American qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup soccer finals kick off today.

Injured Messi and suspended Neymar are just two of a galaxy of stars who will be missing as the long journey to Russia 2018 begins.

Uruguay will be without Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani while Colombia’s James Rodriguez is also injured.

Brazil and Argentina, the two superpowers of South American football, launch their respective qualifying campaigns still smarting from disappointing performances in the Copa America, which saw Chile lift the title on home soil.

Brazil’s Copa America ended in defeat to Paraguay in the quarter-finals, a loss that deepened the sense of gloom surrounding the Selecao, still bearing the scars of their humiliating World Cup exit to Germany in 2014. — AFP.