The last two quarter-finals of the Copa America take place on Saturday night in the United States (Sunday morning UAE time) where four teams will hope to join Colombia and the US in the last four.
Argentina v Venezuela, Sunday, 3am BeIN Max
Lionel Messi will play – and possibly start – in Argentina's Copa America quarter-final match against Venezuela.
That doesn’t mean Venezuela manager Rafael Dudamel is ready to give up.
“The chances (of advancing) will depend on our performance. Otherwise I would have stayed home watching this tournament on TV,” he said on Friday, adding that he had never been to Boston – or north of Miami, for that matter. “If I didn’t have faith that our team could win, I would have gone to Disneyland.”
Since leading Barcelona to a 2-0 win over Sevilla to win the Copa del Rey on May 22, Messi has suffered a back injury that kept him on the sideline when the Copa America group stage began. After sitting out the opener against Chile, he played 29 minutes against Panama – but still managed a hat trick – and came on as a substitute in the group stage finale against Bolivia in Seattle on Tuesday.
Argentina manager Gerardo Martino said Messi “is definitely in good shape to play from the beginning, so it’s quite possible that he will be a starter.”
“He has evolved in the right path,” Martino said.
The winner of the match between Venezuela and Argentina will play the United States in the semi-finals. Although Argentina’s ranking and tradition make them a heavy favourite, they have struggled to win major tournaments over the past two decades.
Since winning the Copa America in 1993, they have finished second in the tournament three times and also lost in the 2014 World Cup final.
“We need to win in order to be recognised,” Martino said. “For the last few years, the team has been playing well in all the decisive games and it bodes well for this tournament.”
Venezuela finished fourth in the last Copa America, but are big underdogs against Argentina. Still, Dudamel didn’t bring his team here to watch Messi’s coronation.
“The goal is not to eliminate Argentina, it is to continue,” he said. “We have great players, we are very ambitious and we are achieving in each stage the goals that we have set for ourselves.”
Dudamel said having the opportunity to play against Messi is a challenge, but it’s also something to motivate his players.
“How can that not inspire you, if you’re facing one of the best players in the world? For many, he is the best player in the world,” Dudamel said. They are competitive. They rise up to the challenge. It’s not only Messi. Argentina has great players.”
Mexico v Chile, Sunday, 6am BeIN Max
Mexico manager Juan Carlos Osorio’s mixing-and-matching methodology for his line-up might be scrutinised by some and far from universally popular back home. Yet at least some of his players believe it gives the team a much-needed edge that is working pretty well if not completely consistently just yet.
Everybody must stay sharp and ready, because you don’t know when your name might be called in this Copa America tournament. A little healthy competition? You bet.
The coach strays from steady, predictable decisions and seems to go with his gut depending on opponent and situation – and who’s got the hot foot.
No arguing the results. And Mexico hope that winning their group is just the start of a special Copa America run.
Up next is a quarter-final matchup against defending champion Chile at sold-out Levi’s Stadium. With 70,000 people expected, it very well could be the most hyped atmosphere yet for a sporting event at the 2-year-old, US$1.3 billion stadium – perhaps topping this year’s Super Bowl. Hugely popular, Mexico are almost a home team in this Copa, being played in the United States for the first time with a special 100th anniversary tournament featuring six nations from North and Central America and the Caribbean.
Osorio has used three different goalkeepers in as many matches so far this Copa America, and 21 of his 23 players in the squad have played at least one game.
“I’m all up for the rotations because that helps you to stay in top shape all the time knowing that you have a shot to be the starter every game,” defender Paul Aguilar said. “We respect what the coach is doing and, for me, it helps to stay focused.”
Mexico are ranked 16th in the world and riding a 22-game undefeated streak, their best ever, topping an unbeaten stretch of 21 by the 2004-05 team coached by Argentine Ricardo La Volpe.
Both teams will try to set the tone by attacking from the opening kick off.
Aguilar is expecting another “back-and-forth” game, and Mexico know the group-stage win will mean little if it can’t get past a Chile squad that was runner-up to Argentina in Group D.
Mexico beat Chile 1-0 in a friendly match June 1 in San Diego.
“The Mexican team has a style of play that when you make a mistake they make you feel it, so we have to be very focused. It’s going to be a tough match like the one in San Diego,” Chile defender Jose Pedro Fuenzalida said. “We will try to play our best game at this stage of the championship to keep advancing.”
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