Copa America: Paraguay Plan to Hop In the Quarterfinals Bus ASAP

Chile vs Paraguay

Argentina and Chile have already confirmed their spot at the knockout stages here in the Copa America, and Paraguay will look to join in soon this Thursday night.

Paraguay are going to be aiming for points when they are scheduled to lock horns against Chile, but they will have to earn it the hard way.

In Group A, Eduardo Berizzo’s men are placed third with three points. Argentina and Chile are above them with seven and five points respectively.

Uruguay are right below them at fourth and they just grabbed a vital point when they held Chile to a 1-1 draw yesterday. They have a pivotal game against Bolivia soon to which they are poised to come out with the three points.

The SBOTOP betting odds point to a close match ahead given that Chile and Paraguay have had a fierce rivalry in the South Americas.

La Albirroja have gotten the better of La Roja in recent occasions, but can they continue the trend here in the big stage?

Without further ado, we examine how these nations stack up through this match preview.

Talking Points

Chile need to be laser-focused on the main goal

Copa America: Can Ben Brereton step up in the absence of Alexis Sanchez? — Chile’s Ben Brereton battles for the ball against Uruguay’s Matias Vina at Arena Pantanal stadium

La Roja don’t need any distractions if they plan on hoisting the Copa America trophy anew this season.

Chile were on the wrong end of the Copa America 2021 news when several reports surfaced online, saying that the players have breached COVID-19 protocols when they brought in unauthorized persons into their team hotel yesterday.

Even if the guests tested negative for the coronavirus, team manager Martin Lasarte was certainly unhappy with this development and the team is expected to be fined at least $15,000 by CONMEBOL.

Their off-the-pitch issues have come to a head when they were unable to grab all three points against Uruguay at the Arena Pantanal.

After taking the lead via an Eduardo Vargas goal during the 26^th minute, Chile faltered late when Arturo Vidal scored an own goal in favour of their opponents.

However, there are some positives to take away from this match thanks to an unsung hero.

With Alexis Sanchez out due to a foot injury, Ben Brereton has shown promise in playing alongside Eduardo Vargas to lead the attacking line. The 22-year-old striker should continue to start with their top scorer sidelined.

Paraguay eager to bounce back

The 2021 Copa America is an opportunity for Paraguay to get back on the winning track. La Albirroja have made the finals and the semis in 2011 and 2015, and they’ll look to recreate those runs by trying to punch above their weight.

Despite losing in the last time out, Paraguay have given Argentina all they could handle and that may be a sign of things to come for Eduardo Berizzo’s side.

Paraguay have notable players on their roster that can cause headaches for Chile this Thursday.

West Ham’s Fabio Balbuena is their linchpin at the back with his tall frame and he’ll be paired with skipper Gustavo Gomez at central defence since he was rested against Argentina.

Angel Romero and Kaku are Paraguay’s best attackers given that they’ve accounted for all of their goals so far in the competition. Chile’s defence cannot afford to give an inch to these two because they are great in exploiting mistakes through their pace and guile.

History

Chile and Paraguay have been close in their international head-to-heads.

In their 17 games against each other, Chile hold the slim advantage with eight wins, whereas Paraguay have won seven times along with two draws.

These two nations will meet for the first time in four years. Their last meeting was in the World Cup qualifiers to where La Albirroja came out with a 3-0 shutout victory.

Arturo Vidal had an own goal to give Paraguay the lead for good in the first half while Victor Caceres and Richard Ortiz recorded one goal each in the second half.

Prior to Thursday, Paraguay are holding a two-match win streak over Chile. Chile’s last win dates back to 2015.