Introduction
Copa America is down to the ultimate match. After 10 teams playing 27 matches for over 28 days, having endless enthralling fixtures, getting countless moments of magic to witness, and utilizing the chance to cherish some eye-catching display of football from the best teams in South America is all we want from international football to present us during these hard times. While the European championship is undergoing full swing in front of thousands of spectators. Copa America, South America’s biggest footballing event is being staged behind closed doors due to the COVID-19. After going through the group stages and knockouts, we are now finally down to a single match to decide the eventual winners. The match which would decide who takes the trophy home this year is the clash between two South American football powerhouses.
The whole footballing world including non-football fans wants to see this kind of high-voltage faceoffs in the finals of major tournaments. Yes, you guessed it right, we are talking about South America’s marquee clash in the finals of the Copa this year.
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Reigning champions Brazil lock horns with their bitter rivals Argentina in a mouth-watering South American derby fiesta tonight. It’s all to play out for at the Maracanã stadium which will host this showdown between these two South-American giants. Indeed, the superb performance of both the teams in the knockouts and group stages spices up the fixture even more. We are expecting an end-to-end display of quality football from both ends. The five-time world champions are up against the two-time champions on Saturday night.
Why watch out for
Certainly, any non-football fan in the world would also don’t want to miss watching the finals of South America’s prestigious event. And when two of the best teams in the region are facing each other, you ought to sacrifice any work for watching this. Brazil, the host nation of this tournament, apparently will be going into this match as the favorites. They have had an exceptional tournament to date and the finals remain as the only hurdle for them to cross. Tite’s men have been perfect on all fronts from snatching wins against big teams to ransacking the small teams as well.
Indeed, Brazil has beaten the likes of Colombia and Chile on their way to the finals of the Copa’s. This team looks complete from all sides and it has a great squad depth as well. There is an excellent blend of youth and experience in the team which helps to bring the best out always. Now it’s their biggest test of the tournament so far and their future will all rest upon the result of this match.
Argentina, on the other hand, has also been impressive to date. Going into this match, they carry loads of expectations from their fans to win a big trophy at last. They were able to register to win against many top teams in the tournament and this would definitely give them confidence. Coach Scaloni is doing a great job and he has made the Argentines believe that they can also win something. In the finals, there is no doubt that one of the hardest tests of the tournament waits for them. But this Argentina team is budding with a number of young talent and they have delivered well when it mattered the most. Frankly speaking, Messi’s team has to pull something above their ranks. If they are intended to gift him a first international trophy.
We hope for the best to happen and request everyone to keep a watchful eye on the match. The match is scheduled to get kicked off at 5:30 IST or 00:00 GMT.
Brazil’s Journey so far in Copa America 2020
The Sambas kicked off the tournament on home soil in style as they cruised to a 3-0 win against Venezuela. Similarly, the former champions blew away Peru 4-0 in the 2ndmatch to register a record of 7goals in the first 2matches. In the third match they were drawn to play against Colombia and Casemiro’s 100th-minute header gave them the win. With a knockout berth being confirmed. Tite gave almost all of his first-team players a much-needed rest against Ecuador. The second-string squad couldn’t do something great and they were held to a 1-1 draw. In the quarterfinals stage, Chile was drawn to play against Brazil.
The Selecaos progressed into the semifinals thanks to a wonderful strike from Lucas Paqueta and assisted by Neymar. In the semifinals, they got a relatively easier opponent in the form of Peru. But they had to toil much to grab a 1-0 win again through a Paqueta strike. Gabriel Jesus saw red in the 48thmin after which they were forced to play the entire second half with 10 men. Till now, their journey has been smooth so far and it remains to be seen how Tite’s men fare against Argentina. For one last time, they would have to bring their A-game out tonight and defeat the men in blue and white.
Argentina’s outing so far in Copa America 2020
The Los Albiceleste’s began the tournament on a disappointing note with a 1-1 draw against their neighbors Chile. They couldn’t dominate the game and at times were so lucky enough to escape with the draw. But in the second fixture, they defeated Luis Suarez’s Uruguay 1-0 courtesy of a goal from Guido Rodriguez. In the third match again, they edged out Paraguay 1-0 through an early strike from Alejandro Gomez. They returned in familiar colors against Bolivia where they thrashed them 4-1 and entered the quarterfinals. They luckily got an easy draw in the quarterfinals for topping their group. Ecuador was their opponent and they’re also blown away by the Argentines 3-0 with a sublime performance up on display.
In the semifinals, they got a relatively tougher opposition in the form of Colombia who provided a tough fight to them. The match ended in a stalemate with the scores tied at 1-1. In the penalty shootouts, Emiliano Martinez was their unlikely hero as he saved two penalties to take Argentina home. As of now, Scaloni’s men have offered average performance in the contest so far with good displays only coming against small teams. If they are to come good against Brazil, they have to shut off all their loopholes and play in an organized way. Let’s see if Scaloni and his boys can perform the task or not.
Teams News
Brazil
Brazilian coach Tite does not have much to ponder for injury in selecting the squad for the final. Gabriel Jesus is the only one set to miss the final after he saw a straight red against Colombia. Another one to be doubtful for the fixture is left-back Alex Sandro who has a minor injury issue. In the absence of Gabriel Jesus, we could see Firmino moving into striker position and Richarlison taking that CAM position. There will be a likely tossup between Neymar and Thiago Silva for a place alongside Marquinhos. Other than this, the starting XI will be the same.
Predicted Lineups
Argentina
Lionel Scaloni would head into the game with no such serious injury cases in the team. Argentina could be without Atalanta starlet Cristian Romero who is sidelined due to an injury. The duo of Nicolas Otamendi and German Pezzella is expected to be the two center backs. There will be a tossup between Angel di Maria, Alejandro Gomez, and Nico Gonzalez for the left-wing position. Lautaro Martinez will play as the striker as will be the three midfielders.
Predicted Lineups
Tactical Analysis
Argentina
Lionel Scaloni has made Argentina play in some excellent tactics which have reaped good benefits for the side. The main motto of Scaloni’s coaching perspective is that to keep the ball moving forward. This is why we don’t see Argentina keeping much possession of the ball while playing. They always play quick passes among themselves in the buildup to the quick attacks. Captain Lionel Messi is given total freedom to move anywhere in the field and other players adjust their places accordingly.
The Los Albiceleste’s don’t press that much and they love the players coming into their box and defend deep. They prefer to bring up a lot of attack from the wings with most of them centering around Messi mainly. Generally, all players try to create a bit of space for Messi which helps him to create the play more freely. Also, Paredes plays an important role in the midfield in front of the two backs and he acts as a good ball snatcher. Argentina plays quite pacey football these days and it will once again be needed against Brazil.
Brazil
Brazil coach’s Tite tactics have also been spot on in the tournament. They love to keep possession of the ball but not for long. They also are believers in the theory of passing the ball quickly and building up quite dangerous attacks. The selecao’s attacks from the wings are excellent and it would be the main weapon to beat Argentina in the finals. Tite’s main weapon in the final third is Neymar who mainly controls the play for Brazil with his mind-blowing creativity. Brazil’s midfield is aptly controlled by their captain Casemiro who is literally present everywhere on the pitch.
The duel between Casemiro and Paredes can eventually decide the result of the game. He acts as a bridge between defense and offense contributing in defense as well as linking up in attacks too. This helps Neymar and Paqueta to operate from the wings and create innumerable chances, sending deadly crosses into the box. This linkup play for Brazil is mainly the key for them. Firmino and Richarlison are meant to convert those chances for the Selecaos. They have the potential to destroy any team on their day and will be hoping to replicate that tonight.
Head-to-Head
The two big teams of South America have squared off a record number of times against each other. In the 111 encounters to date, Brazil holds a slight edge in that winning 46 out of total played. Argentina won an accumulated number of 40 games while 25 fixtures failed to provide any result.
In their last showdown in a friendly in 2019, it was a tale of two missed penalties. The only difference was that Lionel Messi scored from the rebound while Gabriel Jesus failed to do so. Argentina won it 1-0. In the last official match that these two sides have met in, Brazil won it 2-0 in the semifinals of the Copa’s.
Entertaining duels to watch out for in this Copa America 2020 Finals
- Neymar Jr. Vs Nicolas Otamendi
When there is a player of Neymar’s stature in your team, the opposition defense would be gearing up to experience nightmares definitely. He has been in sublime for the Selecaos in this year’s Copa too, scoring 2 goals and 3 assists. No doubt he would be the go-to man for Brazil surely. The onus of stopping Neymar would once again be on veteran defender Nicolas Otamendi. He has played against Neymar innumerable times in his career and he knows how to stop the playmaker. The duel between Neymar and Otamendi would be one of the interesting ones to watch out for.
2. Carlos Casemiro Vs. Leandro Paredes
The Madrid starlet was in sublime form for his club in the previous season and now he’s replicating that in Brazil-colors. He is literally the engine of the whole Brazilian side who controls the transition between defense and offense excellently. He is the undaunted king of midfield, to be honest. If Casemiro plays his top game tonight, Brazil will be almost impossible to stop. The responsibility of tackling Casemiro would be on PSG star Paredes. Similar to Casemiro, he is one of the best performers in this Argentina squad. He plays just Infront of the two backs and acts as a ball snatcher to blunt attacks from the opposition. Up to these points, Paredes has performed his task very well keeping the midfield totally under his control. Football fans, be ready to witness a delightful battle between these two midfield stars.
3. Emiliano Martinez Vs Ederson Morae’s
Amid all the interesting individual battles, the goalkeepers of the two teams will also have a final say in the match. Emi Martinez became the unlikely hero last day out against Colombia while Ederson has been putting up consistent performances. It is to be seen which shot-stopper takes the limelight tonight.
4. Lionel Messi Vs Eder Militao
When you’ve one-of-the best players on this planet in your team, then you’ll definitely start the match with one step forward. Messi has just taken him into another level in this year’s Copa registering 4 goals and 5 assists for him. Literally, the whole of Argentina depends upon him to deliver with the breakthroughs in the final third. His creativity is something that Scaloni would boast of. The authority of keeping Messi at bay would be certainly handed over to Madrid star Militao. He has faced Messi in El Classico too and had pocketed him in those matches. Tite would hope him to put up a solid show on display in defense in order to stop Messi tonight. Militao has been in good form in the Copa and we all hope he continues that tonight.
Conclusion
In all respects, this heavyweight clash between South America’s former champions is going to be enticing and eventful. Brazil would be looking to add a 10th trophy to their cabinet while their opponents will look to win it for the 15th time. Football fanatics all around the world would be completely soaked in watching two of the best teams renew hostilities. Both the teams will play all out to win the contest and bring something to cheer for the home fans. Expect a fierce and engrossing encounter to take place at the iconic Maracanã stadium tonight. We hope for the best team to win this tournament and wish we can witness a fascinating and charming clash.
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