Trending News|June 23, 2015 11:29 EDT
2015 Copa America Preview, Schedule: The Final Eight Teams in the Spotlight
The 2015 Copa America group stages are done and have produced the final eight teams battling in the quarterfinal. Chile and Bolivia move on from Group A, Argentina, Paraguay, and defending champion Uruguay advance from Group B, while Brazil, Peru, and Colombia are the advancing teams from Group C.
What stands as the most intriguing matchup in the quarters is the Wednesday tiff between Chile and Uruguay. The hosts have been one of the more entertaining squads in the tournament, displaying an attacking style that has produced 10 goals so far, more than twice the output of the next-closest team.
And more good news for fans of both Chile and freewheeling football, the squad intends to change nothing. "Chile will not change its style for the quarterfinals. Playing like this is the only way to beat the big teams we will meet from here on," said coach Jorge Sampaoli.
With the absence of Luis Suarez, Uruguay have had to depend on the world-class abilities of striker Edinson Cavani, although he has not quite delivered the way he did for his club PSG.
Many have seen his performance as a flop so far, pointing out that he needs to be serviced to be effective, a luxury he does not seem to have with this current Uruguay side.
If the defending champions can slow down the pace of the game and keep the dynamic offense of Chile from humming the way it has so far, they could stand a chance to advance to the semis.
On Saturday, Brazil takes on Paraguay as it tries to maintain its hold as one of the most captivating teams in the Copa America. Similar to Uruguay, who is without its star, Brazil will be taking on the pitch without the suspended Neymar.
A bright spot is the heightened play of Willian, who has visibly stepped up in the absence of Neymar. They will need him to perform the way he did against Venezuela over the weekend if they hope to avoid the disappointment of exiting the 2015 Copa America in the quarterfinals.
The other Copa America quarterfinal matchups feature Bolivia vs. Peru on Thursday, June 25, and Argentina vs. Colombia on Friday, June 26.