MENU
Uruguay takes on Peru in their semifinal assignment at the 2019 Copa America on June 29, 2019, at the Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, Brazil.
Uruguay finished atop Group C with two wins and one draw to claim a total of 7 points and a +5 goal difference. Peru meanwhile, took the hard road to the quarterfinals as they finished third in Group A with just four points and a goal difference of -3. Despite that, they were the best third-place team and thus qualified for the quarterfinals. The winner of this match will move on to play the winner of the Colombia vs Chile quarterfinals game.
Uruguay
Uruguay was among the four unbeaten teams in the group stage of the 2019 Copa America and had the second best goal difference among the quartet at +5, just behind Brazil’s +8. La Celeste blanked Ecuador 4-0 in their opening match, was forced to a 2-2 draw with guest Japan in their second encounter and capped off their first round of action with a solid 1-0 victory over defending champions Chile.
Against the two-time winners, Uruguay only had 42% of ball possession but they made good use of their time with the ball as they were able to take the same number of shots on target as Chile. Edinson Cavani was the hero against Chile after the PSG star scored a goal in the 82nd minute of play to give La Celeste three points. The win over Chile was also the second time in three games where Uruguay held their opponent scoreless. They enter their quarterfinals matchup against Peru as heavy betting favorites.
Oscar Tabarez’s final 23-man squad is as follows:
- 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
Peru
Peru finished third in a group that included fellow quarterfinalists Brazil and Venezuela. But unlike those two teams who played really good in the group stage, Peru had a lackluster showing as they could manage just 4 points. However, that was enough to send them to the quarterfinals as the top third-placed team. Peru drew with Venezuela 0-0 on their opening match and then proceeded with a 3-1 win over Bolivia. However, their final group match against Brazil was a disaster as they lost 0-5.
Los Incas was terrible against Brazil. They completed fewer than 300 passes and only had 32% of ball possession. Although they were never expected to upset Brazil in that match, nobody thought they would concede five goals against the hosts. Five goals were the most scored against any team in round one of the 2019 Copa America. With that in mind, it’s no wonder why Peru is a big betting underdog against the powerhouse Uruguay squad.
Ricardo Gareca’s final 23-man squad is as follows:
- Goalkeepers: Pedro Gallese, Carlos Caceda, Patricio Alvarez
- Defenders: Luis Advincula, Carlos Zambrano, Miguel Trauco, Aldo Corzo, Alexander Callens, Miguel Araujo, Anderson Santamaria, Luis Abram
- Midfielders: Yoshimar Yotun, Christian Cueva, Edison Flores, Renato Tapia, Christofer Gonzales, Jesus Pretell, Paolo Hurtado
- Forwards: Jefferson Farfan, Paolo Guerrero, Andre Carillo, Raul Ruidiaz, Andy Polo
Who Wins?
Peru was touted to finish second in the Group A betting market but they ended up finishing as next to last. However, because of their superior points among the third-placed teams, they were able to enter the quarterfinals via the backdoor. But while that is already an achievement in itself, Peru lacked quality throughout the entire group stage of the tournament.
Los Incas scored only three goals in three group stage matches and it looked like their forwards don’t have enough creativity at this level of play. If their defense was able to carry them to this point in the tournament, it may not be able to prevent a gifted offensive unit like Uruguay from scoring goals.
Uruguay is ranked next to Brazil in the current odds board to win the 2019 Copa America. La Celeste topped Group C and managed a victory over defending champions Chile in the group stage. Their 7 goals scored in the opening round ranks next only to Brazil who is the top goal-scoring team with 8 goals after the group stage.
The criticism with Uruguay has always been their over-reliance on Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani in big games. Both have scored two goals apiece already in the group stage. But aside from their two offensive superstars, Uruguay also has two defensive superstars in Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez who not only can stall offensive teams but can also bury the ball in the back of the net.
Anywhere I look at this match from, I don’t think that Peru has the quality to beat Uruguay. When you say compete, for sure they can. But as far as advancing to the semifinals, I like Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani to deliver for Uruguay in this matchup. I’m picking Uruguay to advance to the semifinals of the 2019 Copa America by defeating Peru on 6/29/19. Prediction: Uruguay
Miami Heat vs Milwaukee Bucks 04/19/2023 NBA Odds and Prediction
New York Mets vs Los Angeles Dodgers 04/17/2023 MLB Preview and Prediction
Minnesota Twins vs New York Yankees 04/14/2023 MLB Preview and Prediction
OKC Thunder vs New Orleans Pelicans 04/12/2023 NBA Play-in Tournament Odds and Prediction
