Copa America: Paraguay – Brazil Preview

July 8th, 2011 | by: Victor | Comments Off

On Saturday July 9th we play against Brazil at 15:00 ET in Cordoba, Argentina. The game will be available on http://www.youtube.com/ as well as Univision.

What to expect?
This should be a very exciting game with both teams going for each other’s throat very quickly into the match. The key to our success will be to stay concentrated all 90 minutes. We don’t always achieve this, but it is harder to score against us when we do. The Brazilians will make us pay for any single distraction.

There is no reason we shouldn’t be able to beat Brazil and I am optimistic for a couple of reasons.

First, I think we proved to be a pretty dangerous team against Ecuador. We didn’t score, but it has been a long time since I’ve seen our Albirroja play that aggressively. That sometimes happens in our home games in the in the Defensores del Chaco, but it doesn’t happen that often abroad.

We will play like this again for some passages of the game against Brazil, but it is of monumental importance that we score this time during that passage of the game! It is much harder to score after things cool down! If we don’t, it will be a long afternoon of suffering.

Second, we should be able to suppress the Brazilian offense the whole game. We did this well in our home game in the qualifiers where we won 2-0 with 10 men in the second half. We also did this well for 50 minutes in our away game, after which we lost our concentration a little and they overturned a game we started winning 1-0. If we can continuously interrupt their passing game and press high on the field this Saturday, it has got to wear them out and give us time to hold the ball more patiently, avoiding our sporadic bursts of forward movement. Again, the key is to stay focused the whole game. We do that and the game is ours.

Possible XI:
Villar,
Veron, Da Silva, Alcaraz, Torres
Ortigoza, Vera, Riveros, Estigarribia
Santacruz, Haedo

There will be a couple of changes from our first game. Enrique Vera will come in for Barreto who is hurt. Piris will go back to the bench and Veron will move to cover the right-back position. Alcaraz will come back to the central defense like in the World Cup. After Barrios’ poor showing against Ecuador, Haedo will probably start. Estigarribia is playing for sure and it is his time to shine!

Who might be given a greater role? Zeballos? Martinez? I miss Tacuara!!!!!! How could Martino have left him out!!!

Prediction:
Paraguay 2 – Brazil 0.

We hit them once in the first half, and again after they start panicking in the 2nd half. No concessions.

Vamos Albirroja carajo!!!!