Argentina and Uruguay square off in Copa America action on Saturday, in a clash between the two favorites to qualify out of group B.
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One of the biggest matches of the Copa America 2021 will finally be played on Friday. Argentina square off against arch-rivals Uruguay in the Clasico del Rio de la Plata at the Mane Garrincha Stadium in Group B. Argentina holds the clear advantage in their last five head-to-head games, having won 3 three games and lost one and drawn one against Uruguay. Both the nations hold the most number of Copa America trophies. Uruguay have the most Copa America trophies with 15, followed by Argentina with 14 cups.
A 1-1 draw against Chile in their opening match will concern Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni purely based on the patterns of the match in Copa America 2021. The Chileans dominated most of the match which would lead to some questions on Scaloni. Given that he left both Sergio Aguero and Angel di Maria on the bench in order to bolster the midfield.
#SelecciónMayor Otro día de intensos trabajos para preparar el próximo partido ante @Uruguay.
¡Seguimos firmes y unidos! ??#VamosArgentina ?? pic.twitter.com/MXCLHukokD
— Selección Argentina ?? (@Argentina) June 16, 2021
Scaloni’s Argentina have been a little bit more controlled than they were in 2017-2018 under Jorge Sampaoli. However, they still remain passive and are lacking cohesion.
Argentina’s squad is jam packed with world-class players. However, they still rely on Lionel Messi as we witnessed in the match against Chile. Messi’s solitary goal wasn’t enough to give the La Albiceleste three points.
Captain Lionel Messi, who scored a stunning free-kick in the game against Chile, will be the major threat in attack.
Uruguay, meanwhile, will be kicking off their Copa America journey against the tournament favourites. Much like their opponents, Oscar Tabarez’s men are also not in the best of form heading into the Clasico, as they have failed to win each of their last three games. Their most recent game ended in a goalless draw against Venezuela in the FIFA World Cup 2022 Qualifiers. A winning start could put them in a solid position in Group B.
?️?? @Uruguay realizó esta tarde, en el estadio Ciro Machado de Brasilia, el último entrenamiento antes de debutar en la @CopaAmerica.
⚽ Mirá el video completo en #AUFTV: https://t.co/Vq1LJsND3N
1️⃣ Ingresá a https://t.co/qVMBrYJR1J
2️⃣ Registrate
3️⃣ Disfrutá de los contenidos pic.twitter.com/78Mhx0TCet— Selección Uruguaya (@Uruguay) June 18, 2021
Uruguay highly relies on Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, with their eagle eye in front of the goal, they can cause problems to the opposition defence.
The last time Argentina and Uruguay faced off against each other was in November 2019 in a friendly encounter, which ended in a 2-2 draw. Their upcoming contest will have a major say in how the Copa America Group B table shapes up.
Argentina Predicted Lineup (4-3-3): Martinez; Montiel, Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico; De Paul, Paredes, Lo Celso; Messi, Martinez, Di Maria
Uruguay Predicted Lineup (4-4-2): Muslera; Gonzalez, Gimenez, Godin, Caceres; Torres, Valverde, Torreira, Rodriguez; Cavani, Suarez
