On Saturday, July 7, 2024, two teams that competed in the inaugural CONMEBOL Copa América in 1916 will go head-to-head for a spot in the final four of the 48th edition of the tournament.
In the quarter-finals, two of the top favorites for the Copa América face off. Check out our Uruguay vs Brazil prediction and preview as we look ahead to this exciting clash.
Who won Copa America 2021?
Argentina
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Uruguay vs Brazil: Match Preview
Sergio Agüero believes that Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay are the only team capable of preventing Argentina from defending their Copa America title.
However, before they can challenge Argentina, Uruguay must first get past nine-time Copa America champions Brazil.
Uruguay, who emerged at the top of Group C with a perfect nine points from their three matches, will face the Seleção in Las Vegas on Saturday. They scored a total of nine goals in those group games, which is three more than any other team in the tournament.
Uruguay, along with Colombia, has scored the most headed goals at the 2024 CONMEBOL Copa América, with three goals from Matías Viña, Facundo Pellistri, and Rodrigo Bentancur. Since 1989, Uruguay has never scored four or more headed goals in a single edition of the tournament.
Goalkeeper Rochet has kept a clean sheet in six of his last seven matches for Uruguay across all competitions.
The only team to score against him during this stretch was Panama, in Uruguay’s 3-1 win in the group stage.
Former Argentina striker Agüero believes that Uruguay, not Brazil, are the favorites to challenge the reigning champions, who barely advanced past Ecuador on penalties to reach the semi-finals.
In an interview with Stake.com, Agüero said: “I think Uruguay have a lot to give now with Bielsa. They should go far in the tournament.”
“I think Argentina are their own biggest threat, and we shouldn’t be overconfident. But Uruguay are the only team that could beat us, because Bielsa knows Lionel Scaloni very well.”
“Let’s not forget that Uruguay are the only team that has beaten us since becoming world champions.”
Brazil, finishing second in Group D behind Colombia, managed one win and two draws in their group stage matches. Their second-place finish now presents them with a significant quarter-final challenge.
For Brazil, with 9 titles—just behind Uruguay and Argentina—the Group Stage was somewhat challenging. They started with a draw against Costa Rica, secured a victory over Paraguay, and ended the stage with another draw against Colombia. The team’s top scorer, Vinícius Júnior, who has netted two goals, is suspended for this match due to yellow card accumulation. His potential replacement could be Endrick, one of the brightest young talents in the Seleção.
Raphinha scored Brazil’s only goal in their 1-1 draw with Colombia last time out, delivering an outstanding free-kick. With Vinícius Júnior sidelined, the Barcelona forward will be expected to provide the attacking spark for Brazil.
In the match against Colombia, Raphinha attempted six dribbles and completed three, both team highs. His direct free-kick goal was the first of its kind by a Brazil player since 2019.
In addition to defeating Argentina during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Uruguay have also overcome Brazil.
Their perfect record in the group stage, winning all their matches, is the first time they’ve achieved this in the Copa América since 1942, when they won all six of their games and claimed the championship.
Brazil scored four goals in the first halves of the current group stage, matching Colombia for the highest total in this phase of the CONMEBOL Copa América since 1999, the year they became champions, when they scored five.
To further bolster Bielsa’s squad, Brazil’s key player Vinícius Júnior will be absent from the match due to suspension.
“Viní is a top player who can win games for us,” Brazil defender Danilo said. “But we have other players with a lot of quality and potential, and let’s try to make up for Viní’s absence.”
Real Madrid forward Vinícius is Brazil’s top scorer at the tournament, with both of his goals coming in the 4-1 victory over Paraguay on Matchday 2.
Brazil and Uruguay are two of only three teams, along with Argentina, that have never trailed at any point in the tournament. Uruguay has lost just one of their 10 quarter-final matches at the Copa América (W4 D5) since the round was introduced in 1993, with half of those games being decided by penalty shootouts, which Uruguay won twice.
Allegiant Stadium is set to host two of CONMEBOL’s historic giants, both aiming to further their legacies in the United States.
Uruguay vs Brazil: Head-to-head
This will be the first knockout clash between these two nations at the Copa América since the 2007 semi-finals, where Brazil triumphed on penalties and went on to win the championship.
Eliminating Brazil will be a formidable challenge. They have never lost a knockout match against Uruguay in Copa América history, with two wins and three draws (W2 L1 in penalty shootouts).
Additionally, Brazil has maintained a remarkable record since 2011, having conceded no more than one goal in any of their last 24 Copa América matches.
They have met 26 times, with an even record:
- 9 Wins for Brazil
- 9 Wins for Uruguay
- 8 Draws
Uruguay vs Brazil: Recent Form
Uruguay: WWWWD
Brazil: DWDDW
Uruguay vs Brazil: Team News and Predicted Line-up
Uruguay: Team News
Uruguay might be without attacker Maximiliano Araújo for their Copa América quarterfinal against Brazil, as he was stretchered off with a neck injury in the match against the USA. Cristian Olivera, who came on as his replacement in that game, is likely to start alongside Facundo Pellistri, Nicolás de la Cruz, and Darwin Núñez in the attack.
Coach Marcelo Bielsa is expected to keep the rest of his lineup the same, with Federico Valverde and Manuel Ugarte in midfield and a defensive four of Nahitan Nández, Ronald Araújo, Mathías Olivera, and Matías Viña.
Uruguay: Predicted Lineup
- Goalkeeper: Rochet
- Defenders: Nandez, R. Araujo, M. Olivera, Vina
- Midfielders: Ugarte, Valverde, De la cruz
- Forwards: JPellistri, C. Olivera, Nunez
Brazil: Team News
Brazil will be without Vinícius Júnior for this match, as he is suspended due to yellow card accumulation. This could lead to 17-year-old Endrick getting the start, with Rodrygo moving to the flank.
Raphinha, Savio, Gabriel Martinelli, and Pepe are competing for the remaining attacking position. Left-back Guilherme Arana is hoping to take Wendell’s place, while Douglas Luiz, Andreas Pereira, and Ederson are all in the running for a midfield spot ahead of João Gomes.
Brazil: Predicted Lineup
- Goalkeeper: Alisson
- Defenders: Danilo, Militao, Marquinhos, Arana
- Midfielders: Guimaraes, Gomes, Pacqueta
- Forwards: Raphinha, Rodrygo, Endrick
Uruguay vs Brazil: Match Prediction
On paper, Brazil may have the edge in terms of individual talent, even without Vinícius Júnior. However, at the Copa América so far, Uruguay have performed better as a cohesive unit under the guidance of Bielsa, which could be the deciding factor when two teams with top-quality players face off.
This matchup could go either way, but Uruguay are likely to edge out Brazil and secure their spot in the semi-finals.
Our prediction is Uruguay 2-1 Brazil.
When and Where to Watch the Match LIVE in India?
The Uruguay vs Brazil Copa America 2024 Quarter-Final soccer game will be live-streamed on Fox and the Fox Sports app.
