For the first time since 1989, Brazil will play host to the oldest continental tournament in the world — the Copa America.
The record eight-time champions haven’t won the competition since 2007, and it would be absolutely perfect if they could finally put an end to that drought in front of their fellow countrymen.
The Copa America 2019 betting odds certainly like Brazils chances as they have the hosts installed as overwhelming favourites to claim the title.
However, the Samba boys have seemingly lost their magic in recent international tournaments. They’ve been unable to get past the quarter-finals in each of the last three Copas, and have reached the semis in just one of the past four World Cups.
With that in mind, allow SBOBET to provide an in-depth look at the hosts and examine their chances of claiming another Copa America on home soil.
Home field advantage…or is it?
It goes without saying that hosts in international competitions have quite the advantage. The added boost of having your own fans cheering you on can be a powerful force.
The Copa America is no different in this regard. The host has gone on to win the tournament four times since changing to its modern format, with Chile most recently becoming champions in front of their countrymen in 2015.
Brazil have historically had a brilliant record as hosts of the South American Championship/Copa America. They’ve hosted the competition four times overall and have gone on to win the title in all four of those occasions.
However, their most recent stint as hosts — back in the 2014 World Cup — did not go quite as well. It certainly felt as if the team was under a lot of pressure to deliver the cup, and as evidenced by their disastrous 7-1 semi-final defeat to Germany, they cracked under said pressure.
Obviously, the Copa is not at the level of the World Cup, so the amount of pressure may not be quite as high. And Brazil do have the benefit of being drawn in a very easy Group A wherein Peru will be their most difficult opponent.
But still, there is an expectation on Brazil to perform on home soil, especially after failing in each of the last three editions of the Copa.
Brazil manager Tite himself has said that reaching the final is the minimum requirement for this team. And he probably isn’t the only one who believes that to be the case.
Perhaps that experience in 2014 will allow the teams’ veteran leaders in Thiago Silva and captain Neymar to better prepare their team-mates on how to handle such expectations.
If that’s the case, then maybe they can truly use home field to their advantage. But if not, it has the potential to backfire — just like it did in 2014.
Loaded squad
Aside from being the hosts, Brazil are also considered the strong favourites because they have arguably the strongest overall squad in the competition. They recently made Copa America 2019 news as they officially named their 23-man squad for the tournament.
Brazil have arguably the two best goalkeepers in the world in Alisson and Ederson. Their defence is very experienced, with Dani Alves, Thiago Silva, Miranda, and Marquinhos all seasoned campaigners.
Defensive midfielders Casemiro and Fernandinho are among the very best in the business. Youngsters Arthur and Paqueta had impressive campaigns for Barcelona and Milan, respectively. And when used correctly, Philippe Coutinho is still a world-class creative midfielder.
Ajax forward David Neres and Everton’s Richarlison were surprise inclusions, but with Neymar, Roberto Firmino, and Gabriel Jesus, Brazil have three proven forwards to lead the attack.
It speaks to the incredible depth of the Brazilian talent pool that their list of snubs includes two key performers in the two Champions League finalists (Liverpool’s Fabinho and Tottenham’s Lucas Moura), as well as exciting Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr.
On paper, Brazil have all the tools necessary to succeed. But the game isn’t played on paper, and so they’ll still need to find a way to put all of their undoubted talent together to win on the field.
The Neymar Factor
Fair or not, there will be a lot riding on Neymar in this tournament. Aside from an Olympic gold medal, Neymar has not delivered the type of international success that other Brazilian greats have.
Neymar’s maturity has been called into question multiple times, from his theatrics during the 2018 World Cup to his constant off-field partying.
His ability to lead is consistently under scrutiny, although he hasn’t helped his cause at times. Just see his most recent incident when he punched a fan in France. After that latest debacle, it remains to be seen whether Tite will keep Neymar on as his captain.
Meanwhile, there are also question marks about his actual fitness and sharpness heading into the tournament after he missed most of the season with a foot injury.
While Brazil have other world-class players in attack, Neymar is that one special talent who can put them over the top and is therefore crucial to their Copa America campaign.
There will likely come a point in the tournament where they’ll need someone to come up with a moment of magic. But if a not-quite-100-per-cent Neymar can’t supply that magic, Brazil may have to wait a bit longer to taste their next Copa success.
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