Brazil vs Argentina: Copa America Final Preview

Posted on July 10, 2021 by Juan Pablo

Brazil and Argentina have the biggest rivalry of the CONMEBOL region and are the two biggest teams in the South American region. With that in mind, it’s only fair to see them both getting ready to play in the Copa America Final once again, something that has already happened in recent years. Brazil won the prior two finals, 2004 and 2007, but Argentina won the decisive match when these two sides met in 1991. Who will come out on top in this one?

This match will kick off on Sunday at 1 AM BST on Estadio Maracana.

Popular reference: Argentina vs Brazil H2H stats

Brazil

Few could argue with the fact that Brazil enter this decisive Copa America match as the odds-on favorite, and they’re looking to repeat the title just like they did in 2004 and 2007 — winning the final against Argentina in both tournaments.

Even though La Selecao has won all but one of their matches so far in Copa America, it’s safe to say they have been trending in the wrong direction following their most recent displays. Brazil got off to a rampant start with wins over Venezuela and Peru, but things have gone downhill since then. They struggled to defeat Colombia, settled for a draw against Ecuador, and had to grind out their two knockout-stage matches. Both ended with 1-0 wins over Chile (QF) and Peru (SF), but there were massive penalty shouts against Brazil in both contests. Can they get themselves back on the right path now that they’re 90 minutes away from winning another title while facing the second-best team in the COMNEBOL region — and their biggest rival?

Brazil injury report: Gabriel Jesus (suspension) is out, while Alex Sandro (muscular) will be a game-time decision.

Brazil Expected Starting Lineup: Ederson; Danilo, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, Renan Lodi; Casemiro, Fred, Lucas Paquetá; Everton, Neymar, Richarlison.

Argentina

Argentina manager Lionel Scolani has been heavily criticized due to his tactical approach and the fact that Argentina often struggles to take risks against lesser opponents, but few could argue against his results and his approach.

He has gone almost 20 matches without a loss in all competitions, won the group stage in this tournament, and he also eliminated Ecuador and Colombia in the knockout stages of this competition. In fact, Argentina has won all their matches with the exception of the opener, against Chile, and the semifinal contest against Colombia — both ended with 1-1 draws. Plus, one thing to note is that Argentina has scored the first goal in every game they’ve played so far in Copa America. Another rampant start could be massive for their chances of pulling the upset here. However, Scaloni must clear his doubts first to assemble the best possible team to take on Brazil. Reportedly, he has quite a few doubts about the XI for this weekend’s game.

Argentina injury report: Cristian Romero (knee) – questionable

Argentina Expected Lineup: Emiliano Martinez; Nahuel Molina/Gonzalo Montiel, German Pezzella, Nicolas Otamendi, Nicolas Tagliafico/Marcos Acuña; Rodrigo De Paul, Guido Rodriguez, Leandro Paredes/Giovani Lo Celso; Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martinez, Angel Di Maria/Nicolas Gonzalez