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Chile and Uruguay battle for the top spot in Group C as the group stage of the 2019 Copa America come to a close. The two sides will square off on June 24, 2019, at the Estadio do Maracana in Rio de Janeiro.
Both teams currently have three points each after their respective victories in their opening matches at this 2019 Copa America. Chile is booked to face Ecuador on Thursday while Uruguay is slated to take on Japan on Friday in Round 2 of Group C competition. Both Chile and Uruguay are a +4 in goal difference after their debut matches. With both teams expected to win their next fixtures, this match should decide who is the top team in the group.
Chile
There were many questions about Chile’s form heading to the tournament but those were quickly answered after the team’s auspicious 4-0 debut against guest team Japan. Striker Eduardo Vargas looked outstanding as he scored two goals for La Roja. Alexis Sanchez, who had a so-so season with Manchester United, scored the third goal for Chile.
- Goalkeepers: Gabriel Arias, Brayan Cortes, Yerko Urra
- Defenders: Gary Medel, Gonzalo Jara, Mauricio Isla, Jean Beausejour, Paulo Diaz, Guillermo Maripan, Igor Lichnovsky, Oscar Opazo
- Midfielders: Arturo Vidal, Charles Aranguiz, Pedro Pablo Hernandez, Erick Pulgar, Diego Valdes, Esteban Pavez
- Forwards: Alexis Sanchez, Eduardo Vargas, Jose Pedro Fuenzalida, Nicolas Castillo, Junior Fernandes, Angelo Sagal
Uruguay
Inexperience was one of the criticisms of this team that is supposed to be over-reliant on their stars Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani. But after a strong start to their Copa America campaign where they shut out Ecuador in a comfortable 4-0 win with Luis Suarez scoring the second goal for Uruguay.
- Goalkeepers: Fernando Muslera, Martin Silva, Martin Campana
- Defenders: Diego Godin, Jose Maria Gimenez, Sebastian Coates, Martin Caceres, Marcelo Sarrachi
- Midfielders: Giovanni Gonzalez, Diego Laxalt, Lucas Torreira, Matias Vecino, Rodrigo Bentancur, Nahitan Nandez, Federico Valverde, Nicolas Lodeiro, Giorgian De Arrascaeta, Gaston Pereiro
- Forward: Edinson Cavani, Cristhian Stuani, Maximiliano Gomez, Jonathan Rodriguez, Luis Suarez
Who Wins?
The doubts on Chile’s form were erased after they blanked Japan 4-0. Chile still has a game on Friday against Ecuador but they are expected to win that match after what we saw from them in their opening game. Chile has the experience to win this tournament, being the defending champions. With Eduardo Vargas and Alexis Sanchez on cue, they are going to be a handful for any of the top soccer betting favorites.
But while their offense looked nearly flawless, I can’t say the same about their defense which was virtually untested against the Japanese. However, on the few and rare instances where Japan tried to attack, La Roja looked compact and good. We’ll see how they do against Ecuador.
Uruguay entered the 2019 Copa America on the heels of their victory at the China Cup. Although that competition did not have elite level competition, it was an opportunity for La Celeste to gel as a team and give international exposure to their young players. Things looked well for Uruguay against Ecuador and La Celeste is also expected to win over Japan in their Friday schedule, despite the fact that Japan won 3-2 in their most recent head-to-head encounter.
As usual, Uruguay’s chances will lean heavily on how good the pair of Suarez and Cavani perform. The two have been the barometer of Uruguay’s football success since I can remember. The pair entered the tournament with 102 goals for their nation. Each added one more against Ecuador. Meanwhile, the team completed 515 passes on and 80% accuracy rate. On defense Giminez and Godin give La Celeste good stability and plenty of experience. Against Ecuador, the Paraguay defense only allowed two shots on goal.
Based on their opening matches, Chile looked very good. But I think Uruguay never looked better. That said, I’m picking La Celeste to win this match and top Group C. Prediction: Uruguay
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