We’re heading into the quarter-final phase of the 2024 Copa America, and the big guns have all made it through, apart from the hosts USA, who suffered an embarrassing exit when they lost 1-0 to Uruguay.
And the race for the Golden Boot is just about to heat up, with Argentina star Lautaro Martinez leading the pack with four goals from three games so far.
And he hasn’t been a starter in two of those.
He fired Inter Milan to the 2024 Scudetto, and is quickly becoming one of the world’s most potent strikers, as he proved when he climbed off the bench to score an 88th minute clincher against Canada.
He repeated that feat with the winner against Chile in a late cameo performance.
And when Argentina made it three wins from three, Martinez helped himself to a brace in the final group match against Peru in a 2-0 win.
The Inter man was a starter in the Peru game, and he was utterly ruthless with his two finishes.
Head coach Lionel Scaloni will likely line him up, alongside the great Lionel Messi in the quarter-final against Ecuador on Thursday night.
With Brazil stuttering so far, the Copa America 2024 betting odds here at SBOTOP make Argentina the strong favourites to win this competition.
That means Martinez is at the front of the queue for the Golden Boot, to add to the Capocannoniere he won in the 2024 Serie A season.
And I don’t give Ecuador much chance of stopping him.
Uruguay Trio on Two
In other Copa America 2024 news, three of Uruguay’s sharp shooters have already scored two goals, and they just about have Martinez in their sights.
The man who has the best chance of catching the Argentina star is probably Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez.
Under Marcelo Bielsa, Uruguay are a free-flowing and attacking team, and that gives Nunez plenty of opportunities. Whilst he can sometimes be an erratic finisher, he is improving with age and has a superb work ethic.
His non-stop running has made him a fans’ favourite at Anfield, and Nunez hit the woodwork more than any other player in last season’s Premier League; four times in one game against Chelsea!
He is inches away from being a top striker, and with 13 goals from 26 games with La Celeste, the 25-year-old has a bright future on the international stage.
If Uruguay can get past Brazil in the quarter-finals, then Nunez could easily be the man breathing down Martinez’ neck.
He is joined by Toluca midfielder Max Araujo and Flamengo’s flying wingback Matias Vina on two goals, and they too will be in the hunt against the Selecao, who look very beatable on recent form, and Brazil are missing two key players in the upcoming clash.
Junior suspended
Brazil are through to the quarter-finals, as widely expected, but they will be without a key man when they face Uruguay on Saturday.
Brazil’s all-time top scorer Neymar is out of the competition through injury, and that has put more onus on the other front men, but one of them has seemingly let his emotions get the better of him.
Vinicius Junior has been on a mission so far, and while scoring two goals at the group stage, he picked up his second yellow card of the campaign when he caught Colombia’s James Rodriguez with his arm, resulting in a one-match suspension.
He comes off the back of another superb campaign with Real Madrid, but Vinicius has yet to shine brightly for Brazil, scoring just five goals in 32 appearances for his country.
At 23 years of age, he has bags of time on his side, but the Selecao need goals now, and they will head into the clash with Uruguay without two of their most dangerous forwards.
Bielsa’s side are arguably the favourites going into that match, and should Nunez win the day, then Vini’s tournament will be over before it really gets going.
If Brazil make it through, then Vinicius will have two matches at the most to catch Martinez, a tall order but not impossible.
One outsider to still be in the hunt is former West Bromwich Albion and Everton striker Salomon Rondon, who has scored two goals for Venezuela as they romped through their group with wins over Jamaica, Mexico, and Ecuador.
And now La Vinotinto face another winnable tie against Canada in the quarter-finals.
With 43 goals in 103 appearances, the 34-year-old is Venezuela’s all-time top scorer, and with 50 in his sights, Rondon will be a constant threat every time he crosses the white line.
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