Uruguay and Brazil trade tackles at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, for a place in the semi-finals of the 2024 Copa America.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side have been stellar thus far at the 2024 Copa America, showing superiority against every opposition they have battled.
They smashed Panama 3-1 in their opening group game, before battering Bolivia 5-0 in their second group affair.
In their final group game, they did light work over the United States, to progress into the last 8 with 9 points from 3 matches.
Uruguay will be aiming to silence Brazil, who have been highly underwhelming at the tournament so far.
Brazil shakily made it through to the quarter-finals, after playing out two draws in the group phase while winning one other encounter.
The Selecao’s 0-0 and 1-1 draws with Costa Rica and Colombia, sandwiched their 1-4 win over Panama.
Dorival Junior’s side have been bashed for their below-par showing at the tournament, as fans are clamoring for them to up the ante.
Brazil go into this game, having finished second in their group with 5 points from 3 group matches.
They will need to conjure magic to defeat Uruguay in a game that is expected to be immensely combative.
Where Are Brazil And Uruguay Placed On The FIFA Rankings?
Brazil are ranked 4th in the world by FIFA, while Bielsa’s men are 10 positions below the Selecao (14).
Head-to-head meetings in recent times heavily favor Brazil, as they have won 5 of the last 7 meetings between both countries, with Uruguay winning 1.
The encounter has also ended in a draw once in that spell of games, and it will be fascinating to see where the pendulum will swing this time.
Team News For Uruguay
Uruguay are expected to be without the services of attacker Maximiliano Araujo, who was stretchered off wearing a neck brace after a nasty collision in Uruguay’s 1-0 final group win over the USA.
Cristian Olivera was brought on in his stead midway through the opening half and he would seemingly be the most likely candidate to start on Sunday, July 7, 2024, combining with Facundo Pellistri, Nicolas de la Cruz, and Darwin Nunez in attack.
Bielsa is not expected to make any further alterations to his starting XI, with Federico Valverde and Manuel Ugarte set to continue in midfield as Nahitan Nandez, Ronald Araujo, Oliveira, and Matias Vina will likely play their part in a four-man defense.
Team News For Brazil
Vinicius Jr is suspended for the clash due to the accumulation of yellow cards and his absence could result in Endrick spearheading the attack for the Selecao.
This will give room for Rodrygo to be used at either flank while Raphinha, Savio, Gabriel Martinelli, and Pepe all battle for the final place in the attacking department.
Left-back Guilherme Arana will be looking to force his way back into the starting XI over Wendell, while Douglas Luiz, Andreas Pereira, and Ederson are all battling for a spot in center-midfield ahead of Joao Gomes.
Uruguay’s possible starting lineup:
Rochet; Nandez, R. Araujo, M. Olivera, Vina; Ugarte, Valverde; Pellistri, De la Cruz, C. Olivera; Nunez
Brazil’s possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Danilo, Militao, Marquinhos, Arana; Guimaraes, Gomes; Raphinha, Paqueta, Rodrygo; Endrick
Prediction: Uruguay 1-0 Brazil
Kick-off Time And Date: 02:00 AM (WAT), Sunday, July 7, 2024.
