The 2024 Copa America field has been set for a couple of months now, and the cluster everyone has their eyes on is Group D, aka the Group of Death, where the likes of Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, and Costa Rica will have to fight tooth and nail in order to advance to the knockout stage.
With the immense talent in Group D, it’s safe to say that the Group of Death will stay true to its moniker. But before the tournament starts, together with SBOTOP, let’s take a look at some of the key players to watch in Group D of the 2024 Copa America.
Endrick, Brazil
As usual, Brazil will boast a competitive roster at the international level. Despite not having the services of their ace, Neymar Jr., who is still unavailable due to a sustained injury, Brazil still have the luxury of deploying talents like Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Richarlison, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, and Raphina, to name a few.
Yet, the marquee shines the brightest on their teenage sensation, Endrick, who dazzled the entire football world with his mentality and skillset during the last international break. While Brazil have a plethora of talent at their disposal, it was the 17-year-old who shone the brightest during their colossal clash against the Three Lions at Wembley.
In that match, Seleção and England were neck-and-neck all throughout, but Endrick posed as the X factor to lift Brazil past their rivals on their home turf. When the smoke finally cleared at Wembley, it was Endrick who emerged as the only scorer of the match, giving Seleção a narrow victory in London.
However, the Real Madrid-bound teenager recently injured his thigh during Palmeiras’ 2-1 win over Independiente del Valle and had to leave the field on a stretcher. But recent tests determined the severity of his injury, which fortunately revealed only bruising on his right thigh.
Brazil are on a redemption arc coming into the Copa America, as they went winless in their last four 2026 World Cup qualifying games. But on the other side of the coin, Dorival Júnior managed to lead his squad to a 1-0 win against England and then a 3-3 draw against Spain in their last two friendlies.
With this momentum, expect Brazil to come out of the gates hot as they strive to muster up convincing Copa America 2024 results and redeem their lacklustre World Cup qualifying fallouts.
Luis Diaz, Colombia
Like Brazil, Colombia also features a roster that harmoniously meshes both youth and experience. With their golden boy, James Rodriguez, posing as the seasoned vet in the midfield, it’s up to the likes of Luis Diaz and Rafael Santon Borre to lead the goal-getting department for Colombia.
Diaz, in particular, will shoulder most of the goal-scoring responsibilities for Nestor Lorenzo during the Copa America. The Liverpool forward has been superb for Liverpool in the Premier League, scoring eight goals and claiming five assists to boot.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp showed immense trust in the 27-year-old, who appeared in 36 top-flight matches and was also deployed in the Europa League and EFL Cup for the Reds.
His great form for the Reds has garnered interest from heavyweights from France and Spain, further cementing his status as one of the best forwards in the game.
Diaz, along with his Liverpool teammates Trent Alexander-Arnold and Darwin Nunez, have sustained injuries. While Nunez and Alexander-Arnold have already withdrawn from international duties, Diaz remains set on joining Colombia for the 2024 Copa America.
Luis Diaz has already been Copa America tested, leading Colombia to a third-place finish in the last iteration of the tournament. Expect Nestor Lorenzo to lean on his star forward to secure Copa America hardware once again, despite being clustered in the Group of Death.
Julio Enciso, Paraguay
Despite being the Copa America 2024 odds underdogs behind Colombia and Brazil, Paraguay still pose as a convincing threat in Group D.
The last time Paraguay claimed the Copa America title was back in 1979, but their recent record at the tournament remains strong. The Albirroja have qualified for the knockout stages in six of the last seven editions of the tournament, including a runner-up finish in 2011 to boot.
However, their upcoming campaign might be a tall order, even for a star-studded cast like Paraguay, as they’re clustered in the same group as Brazil and Colombia. The Albirroja are winless in their last five games against both Brazil and Colombia, so Paraguay would need to lean on their talented forwards Julip Enciso, Angel Romero, and Miguel Almiron to get the job done.
Julip Enciso, specifically, has a lot to prove during the upcoming Copa America. The 20-year-old has been out for the most part of the 2023–24 Premier League season with Brighton after suffering a devastating injury in training last August just after delivering a stunning performance during their 4-1 win at Wolves, where he provided two assists for goals by Solly March.
Brighton’s No. 10 returned to action in February but hasn’t been able to add to his goal tally ever since. Despite his slow progression, Enciso remains hungry and sets his eyes on the upcoming tournament in the United States.
“God willing, I will be there,” he said. “I spoke to my national team coach [Daniel] Garnero, and he was putting confidence in me,” Enciso stated.
“I’m feeling stronger with every game; I’m feeling very good—better every match,” he said. “Obviously, I need more minutes, and that is what I’m looking for.”
Clustered with the likes of Brazil, Colombia, and Costa Rica, Paraguay will need every talent available to be on their A game, especially their budding star, Julio Enciso.
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