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The 2019 Copa America is underway and after almost a week of exciting football, the respective Groups are starting to shape up.
As far as Group B teams are concerned, the teams have played two games each already and after two playing dates completed, here is how the teams currently rank:
| Country | W | D | L | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colombia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Paraguay | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Qatar | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 1 |
| Argentina | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 1 |
The biggest surprise in Group B isn’t the fact that Colombia is on top of the standings. It’s that Argentina is at the bottom of it. Colombia is already through to the next round and Paraguay has played as if they are going to get that second spot. Argentina isn’t out of it yet because a huge win over Qatar could still see them through as one of the top third-placed teams.
The final playing date for Group B will be on June 23rd. That’s Argentina’s moment of truth against guest team Qatar. Likewise, Colombia will take on current second placer Paraguay on that day, in Match 16 of the 2019 Copa America at the Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, Brazil.
For this article, let’s take a look at the match between Colombia vs Paraguay:
Colombia
Colombia opened their 2019 COPA America in style as the boys of Carlos Queiroz defeated a fancied Argentina squad led by Lionel Messi, scoring two goals against the run of play. With Messi and Aguero dominating early, Colombia struck for two goals in the final 20 minutes with Roger Martinez set up by James Rodriguez in the 71st minute and Duvan Zapanta sealing the win with a close-range effort. In their second game of the tournament, James Rodriguez scored a late goal as the Los Cafeteros salvaged a 1-0 victory over Qatar.
Carlos Queiroz’s final 23-man squad is as follows:
- Goalkeepers: David Ospina, Camilo Vargas, Alvaro Montero
- Defenders: Cristian Zapata, Santiago Arias, Davinson Sanchez, Yerry Mina, William Tesillo, Cristian Borja, Stefan Medina, Jhon Lucumi
- Midfielders: Juan Cuadrado, James Rodriguez, Edwin Cardona, Wilmar Barrios, Mateus Uribe, Jefferson Lerma, Gustavo Cuellar
- Forwards: Radamel Falcao, Luis Muriel, Roger Martinez, Duvan Zapata, Luis Diaz
Paraguay
Paraguay had the start they wanted but could not finish the job in their opening match against guest team Qatar. La Albirroja scored on the 4th minute of the match on a play that began from a free kick from the edge of the left box. Derlis Gonzalez made it 2-0 off a long shot in the 56th minute but the Asian Champions and 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts refuse to go away. They struck back in the 68th and 77th minute to force a surprise draw with Paraguay. In their second game of the tournament, Paraguay was once again held to a draw, this time a 1-1 tie against two-time world champions Argentina.
Eduardo Berizzo’s final 23-man squad is as follows:
- Goalkeepers: Antony Silva, Roberto Junior Fernandez, Alfredo Aguilar
- Defenders: Gustavo Gomez, Ivan Piris, Bruno Valdez, Junior Alonso, Fabian Balbuena, Juan Escobar, Santiago Arzamendia, Ivan Torres
- Midfielders: Oscar Romero, Richard Ortiz, Rodrigo Rojas, Miguel Almiron, Celso Ortiz, Matias Rojas
- Forwards: Oscar Cardozo, Hernan Perez, Derlis Gonzalez, Federico Santander, Cecilio Dominguez, Juan Iturbe
Who Wins?
The key for Paraguay is to frustrate Colombia using their defensive and counter-attacking style. If Paraguay can shake up Colombia with their defensive work, this could be an interesting game. However, as we’ve seen in their first two games, Paraguay starts out strong, they build a lead only to be forced to a tie after making several lapses. This happened against Qatar after they had taken a 2-0 lead and that handball in the box that led to Messi’s game-tying penalty kick against Argentina.
Colombia is the soccer betting favorite to win this match and they have stormed ahead with six points in their first two games of the group stages. Colombia has won their first two matches and James Rodriguez has been impressive in both, assisting on the key goal against Argentina and then delivering the lone goal of the match against Qatar. With the way Rodriguez and Colombia are playing right now, it’s going to be hard for Paraguay to stop them. Not with the mental lapses Paraguay has shown in their first two matches. Prediction: Colombia
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