The Copa America quarter-finals kicks off Thursday and will last through the weekend, with the best South American teams fighting for the top spot.
The host nation Brazil had a rather slow start to the tournament and were booed from the majority of their home supporters for the first two games, but it might be the Brazilian faithful still shaking off some feathers after their disappointing World Cup rout against Belgium last year. Head coach Tite is in dire need of silverware under his belt this tournament, or he will be out as manager come next international tournament.
Brazil suffered the loss of their most influential attacker, Neymar, to an ankle injury that sees him miss the entire Copa America. Although they lack their star player, there is still little to no excuse for the team in terms of hoisting the cup in front of their home crowd. Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Gabriel Jesus have led the attack for the Brazilians, and that’s a better strike force than over half the teams in this quarter-final. They have the most experience in the back as well, with the likes of Thiago Silva, Marquinhos and Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker. Brazil kicks off the quarter-finals hosting Paraguay, who are a tough side themselves. According to Action Network, Brazil is sitting at -2 on the spread, -1250 on odds to advance and -555 on the moneyline. The over/under for this game is higher than others prior, sitting at 3. The match starts at 8:00 p.m. EST and kicks off the knockout stage.
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Argentina faces a stubborn and strong defense in Venezuela. Their defense conceded just one goal in the three group stage games, keeping Peru and Brazil at bay with zero. The Argentine attack does, however, posses one of the best attackers in the world in Lionel Messi, along with Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero. With Argentina’s lackluster defense, expect the Venezuelans to knick a goal or two off of swift counter-attacking play from their forward Solomon Rondon. Argentina are favored to advance with -350, with the spread sitting at a shallow -1, according to Action Network. This game is the first of the two for Friday, starting at 3:00 p.m. EST.
Colombia vs. Chile is perhaps the most exciting matchup of the quarter-finals that is likely to be filled with goals. Both teams lack a strong defense and posses great attacking quality. Chile’s Alexis Sanchez and Eduardo Vargas are likely to provide the goals, while FC Barcelona midfielder Arturo Vidal will be stringing the passes. Colombia’s 2014 World Cup breakout star James Rodriguez is a threat to any side going forward, along with experienced poacher Radamel Falcao supplying the goals. According to Action Network, the over/under is sitting a 2 goals, a line that will most likely hit the over. Colombia are -160 favorites, as they won all three group play games. This match is the second Friday game of the day, starting at 7:00 p.m. EST.
The last quarter-final game takes place on Saturday, with Uruguay facing Peru. Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani are a duel threat up front, while Jose Maria Gimenez and Diego Godin are as best as a center-back partnership you can find in this tournament. The Uruguayans are -300 favorites to go through to the semi-finals, with the over/under sitting at 2, according to Action Network. This match will start Saturday at 3:00 p.m. EST.
All games will be broadcasted on Telemundo Deportes, or can be streamed live with the ESPN app.
