Uruguay - Paraguay: Copa America Live Stream

Tournament position

The match of the last round for both teams matters only from the point of view of the draw for the 1/4 finals, where both teams made their way in advance. After four rounds (and three matches played), Paraguay is in second place with six points, and Uruguay is in fourth with four. If the match does not play a big role for the Guarani, then the Charrua need points in this meeting in order to get ahead of Chile and not go straight to Brazil in the quarterfinals. A draw would be enough to move the Chileans, with whom the Celeste drew, on goal difference.

Key Points

Uruguay

1. Balance between rest and result

Óscar Tabárez did little to no roster rotation in the tournament, playing with the same players, with slight changes in terms of substitutions depending on the course of the game. As mentioned in the previous section, the tournament issue for Uruguay in the group round is only partially closed, because the Uruguayans clearly do not want to get into the playoffs immediately against the current champions of the Copa Brazilians - the hosts of the tournament.

In this regard, an experienced mentor of the nominal hosts in Rio will have a dilemma - whether to change lanes for rest before the 1/4 finals or to set up the main squad and fight in the usual way. It will be interesting to see what Tabares will choose - a base that played well in the tournament or will give a chance to the reservists, since there are a number of cool performers on the bench.

2. Is Uruguay finally breaking out?

Recently, the record holder of the America's Cup for victories in the tournament has not been pleased with the scoring game. In the last two qualifying matches for the World Cup, the team did not score, while at the Kop, out of three goals scored, two were own goals! Of course, Uruguay concedes even less often, but as practice shows, the top opponent will definitely find the key to Muslera's gate, but whether the Celeste will be able to pull off the same trick at other people's gates is another question.

One of the points that is important to note before the match - will Uruguay try to play more openly and what role will the past of Paraguay coach Berisso play in Marceo Bielsa's staff? On the one hand, such games, based on the tournament layout, are a great opportunity to experiment and try something moderately bold. On the other hand, the Guarani have problems creating chances against well-organized opponents from behind, which include Uruguay. Therefore, the suspicion that Tabares will not deviate from his style in this meeting is not unreasonable.

Paraguay

1. Will Eduardo Berisso surprise with his experiments again?

The Argentine coach of the Paraguayans is clearly one of those who like to experiment. In the last matches of the team, there were formations from 4-3-3 (with variations in the center of the midfield 4-2-3-1 or 4-1-4-1, depending on the selection of centre-halfs) to the game with a deuce in front, where at least one from this duo is the attacking midfielder Miguel Almiron, probably the main star of this team. Moreover, a deuce in front can mean both 4-4-2 and 3-5-2, even during one fight. Considering the lack of direct real tournament significance of this meeting for the Guarani, it is worth believing that Berisso will again give out something like that and at the same time the team will be able to cling to a completely acceptable result for themselves.

2. Stylistically, Uruguay is the perfect rival for Paraguay

Paradoxically, but traditionally an uncomfortable opponent for Paraguay now looks like a suitable opponent. Uruguay plays with a diamond in the center of the field, which means they have one player on the flanks. Paraguay, on the other hand, loves flank play, sheds; heading, corner kicks are their element for the team of Berisso. Given that there will be a 2-on-1 advantage on the flanks, the Guarani will be able to feel comfortable playing their own football. If Uruguay decides to play wider, they will instantly expose the half-flanks, which was evident in their game against Chile.

It is also worth paying attention to the personnel issue. The ubiquitous left-back Santiago Arzamendia is playing a great tournament, and his wing-back, judging by recent matches, should be Naitan Nandez, a mid-laner who quickly became a right-back for Tabares during the tournament. In this duel, the chances of an attacking left-back are clearly more preferable than those of a retrained midfielder. In a word, Paraguay has all the cards in hand, in order to play well against Uruguay, it will be important to have the desire and put it into practice.

Lineups and tactics

At the Copa America, Uruguay played in 4-4-2 with a diamond in the center of the field, but the scheme can be transformed depending on the situation, while not particularly changing the functions and areas of responsibility of the players. Flank defenders are responsible for the width, if Nandez comes out on the right, and not Giovanni Gonzalez, asymmetry is possible when building attacks, in which Naitan will pull the curb, the line of defense will move behind him, and de la Cruz will be responsible for the left flank, turning the scheme into 3 -4-3 (de Arrascaeta actually plays the third striker with Suarez and Cavani). In the center of the field, the appearance of Torreira as a breakwater or Bentancur as a deep playmaker should not be ruled out. Of the losses for the game against Paraguay, Tabares has only a minor defender, Araujo.

For Paraguay, the formation of 4-2-3-1 should be considered the most optimal. As already mentioned, the team likes to play through the flanks and semi-flanks, Almiron and Angel Romero play a key role in this. At the cutting edge of the attack, Carlos Gonzalez ousted Avalos from the base, in the center of the field you can expect literally anyone, especially Piris da Motta, who unexpectedly returned to the base of the national team. In defense, everything is more or less stable, in the center, despite the presence of the West Ham player Balbuena, a pair from the Brazilian Serie A Alonso-Gómez plays (the latter, moreover, the team captain). Espinola and Arsimendia are active on the flanks of the defense, each has a more defensive alternative in the person of Rojas and Martinez, respectively.

Statistics of the last five matches