The 47th edition of the Copa America is set to kick off this weekend with the South American Football Confederation awarding the hosting rights to Brazil, after Argentina were forced to opt out as host due to a surge in COVID 19 cases in the country. With Neymar already firing for the hosts, here are five things to forward to from the Copa America.
1. Could this be Messi’s year?
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At the age of 34, Lionel Messi is still looking for more silverware with Argentina and it could possibly be the last time Messi could have a shot at the Copa America. The Barcelona and Argentine forward said that last time’s third-place finish was not enough and the players shouldn’t be satisfied with that kind of finish. Messi comes into the tournament in great form with 38 goals and 14 assists this season with Barcelona. With players like Lautaro Martinez, Rodrigo De Paul, and Marcos Acuna, Argentina have a real possibility of getting their hands on the Copa America trophy, which they haven’t won since 1993.
2. Peru – The Underdogs
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In the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Peru showed us what they are capable of. While they currently might be struggling to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, you simply cannot count them out as fierce competitors. Under the management of Ricardo Gareca, Peru has defeated teams like Uruguay, Chile, and Bolivia and were the runners-up in the 2019 edition of the tournament when they lost 3-1 to Brazil. Their first match of the tournament is against a tough Brazil side on the 18th but as we said, they are the serious underdogs in this tournament.
3. Brazil hungry for more
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Brazil has one of the deadliest international squads in the World right now. Since getting knocked out by Belgium in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, Brazil has been on a 10 game win streak and remains the favorites to win the Copa America for the 10th time in the nation’s history. Marquinhos, Neymar & co. have already powered past Venezuela in their opening game and will be hoping to stay unbeaten through the tournament.
Since the South American governing body – CONMEBOL announced that the tournament was shifted to Brazil, the squad had even criticized them, but have accepted the hosting responsibilities and are thirsty to get their hands on the title.
4. Cavani-Suarez Duo
In 2016 – Uruguay beat Paraguay 4-0; their best home result vs. the Guaranis in the #FIFA qualifiers
⚽️ Cavani [17], C. Rodriguez [41], Suarez [45], Cavani [53]
🔻🇺🇾🇵🇾 Thread🔻 pic.twitter.com/QHsRzqFxUc
— Uruguay Football ENG (@UruguayFootENG) June 3, 2021
The key reason behind Uruguay’s recent success is the link-up play between two of the best strikers Uruguayan football has ever seen in Edison Cavani & Suarez. With both the strikers at the age of 34, this could be the last time we see them play together at a major tournament for Uruguay. This season, Cavani had found his second wind with Manchester United, scoring 17 goals in 39 appearances, while Suarez who joined Atletico Madrid in the summer, helped the Spanish side claim their first La Liga title since the 13/14 season. Together, they could be unstoppable in Copa America.
5. Colombia- The New Generation
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It’s hard to imagine Colombia without two of their greatest players ever – Radamel Falcao and James Rodriguez who has been left out of the squad by manager Reinaldo Rueda. This means that the Colombian manager is likely to give his country’s youth an opportunity to go and showcase themselves in one of the most important international competitions in the world. Youngsters like Atalanta’s Duvan Zapata, Edwin Cardona who plays for Argentinian side Boca Juniors, Bournemouth’s Jefferson Lerman and Al-Hilal playmaker Gustavo Cuellar could be lethal and provide Colombia with renewed energy to take on the giants of South America.
[Image Credit: Copa America]
Shashank Iyer