Today’s centenary edition of the Superclasico de las Americas between Argentina and Brazil is under threat due to heavy pollution in Beijing.

High levels of smog have engulfed the Chinese capital in recent days, causing the authorities to issue an orange pollution alert – the second highest level – and leading to players being largely confined to their hotels.

Brazil coach Dunga urged his team to focus on the football as much as possible, however, acknowledging there was little they could do about the less-than-ideal conditions they will likely face at the Bird’s Nest stadium.

He said: “It is there. It is like when we played at the altitude. We have to face the match. There is nothing we can do about it.

“Nobody has the power to change it.”

Dunga has begun a restructuring process after the humiliating World Cup performance on home soil, when Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side crashed out 7-1 to eventual winners Germany in the semi-final.

For World Cup runners-up Argentina, today’s match will be a second warm-up under the guidance of Gerardo Martino following last month’s 4-2 friendly triumph over world champions Germany in Dusseldorf.