Brazil vs Argentina: 2021 Copa America Final Prediction and Preview
Defending champions Brazil and Argentina are set to clash on Saturday at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janerio to decide the 2021 Copa America champions.
The two giants of South American football will be resuming their rivalry on Saturday night as the heirs of Diego Maradona and Pele shoulder the responsibility and expectations of their countries.
Squads
The Selecao has a squad full of top players plying their trade for the biggest clubs in European football. The Brazil squad is brimming with talent from Real Madrid’s Casemiro, Liverpool’s Fabinho, and Manchester United’s Fred in central midfield to the attacking talents of Paris St. Germain’s Neymar, Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus, and Everton’s Richarlison up-front.
The real stars of Tite’s squad can be found in the defense though with 7-time Ligue 1 winner Thiago Silva, 6-time Ligue 1 winner Marquinhos, 2-time UEFA Champions League winner and 2-time Premier League winner Danilo, 5-time Serie A winner Alex Sandro, and La Liga winners Eder Militao and Renan Lodi. The riches in the goalkeeping department with Premier League winner duo of Ederson and Alisson is envied by every club and country around the world.
La Albiceleste is led by Lionel Messi, one of the greatest players to play the sport, and has the attacking riches of Lautaro Martinez, Angel Di Maria, and Sergio Aguero to support the Barcelona star. The recent emergence of Emiliano Martinez, Cristian Romero, and Nahuel Molina has further strengthened the Argentina defense and helps the likes of Giovani Lo Celso and Rodrigo De Paul to focus on helping the forwards.
How Have They Done So Far
Brazilian players celebrating a goal in Copa America 2021
Brazil started their 2021 Copa America campaign with a bang as they scored 3 goals past Venezuela in the tournament opener. Further, 4-0 and 2-1 wins over Peru and Colombia respectively booked their spot in the quarter-final as Group B winners.
A scrappy 1-0 win over Chile in the quarter-final saw Gabriel Jesus sent off and another 1-0 win over Peru in the semi-final has brought Tite’s squad on the brink of lifting another trophy.
On the other hand, Lionel Scaloni’s team started their tournament with a 1-1 draw against rivals Chile. Two consecutive 1-0 wins against Uruguay and Paraguay followed by a 2-0 win over Bolivia helped Argentina win Group A.
The Messi-led side blew away Ecuador 3-0 in the quarter-final and then their semi-final match against Colombia went to penalties where Aston Villa goalkeeper Martinez saved three penalties to help Argentina book their ticket to the 2021 Copa America final.
Team News
Brazil has all of their key players available for the big finale except Jesus who will be serving his suspension of two matches handed out by CONMEBOL for a flying kick in the opponent’s face. Felipe has been ruled out of the ongoing tournament with a sprained knee whilst left-back Sandro is a doubt due to his fitness.
The Argentina manager will be sweating over the fitness of Cristian Romero and Lionel Messi ahead of the final against Brazil. Whilst Romero missed the semi-final, skipper Messi played with a bloody ankle throughout the match.
Predicted XIs
Brazil (4-2-3-1): Ederson, Danilo, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, Renan Lodi, Casemiro, Fabinho, Everton Soares, Lucas Paqueta, Neymar, Richarlison
Argentina (4-3-3): Emiliano Martinez, Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Nicolas Otamendi, Nicolas Tagliafico, Rodrigo de Paul, Guido Rodriguez, Giovani Lo Celso, Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martinez, Nicolas Gonzalez
Prediction
Both the teams have had a superb tournament so far with key players Neymar and Messi taking the continent by storm with their eye-catching goals and assists. The Selecao has an experienced defense that could aid their cause on Saturday against an in-form but inexperienced Argentine defense.
Brazil 2-1 Argentina is Parimatch’s prediction with Real Madrid target Richarlison scoring the winner as he did against Peru a couple of years back.