It’s matchday 2 of the ongoing 2024 Copa America campaign and in a clash between a heavyweight and minnow, Uruguay vs Bolivia, 15-time winners Uruguay would be hoping to take a step closer to clinching a record 16th trophy with a victory over 1963 Copa America winners Bolivia to take them clear of Argentina who also hold the same number of Copa America trophy wins. This is even though they haven’t been able to beat the hoodoo of getting knocked out at the quarter-final stage of the competition every year since they last won it in 2011.
Marcelo Bielsa’s “Last Dance” And Uruguay’s Readiness
This time though, they look business-like under the leadership of national team manager Marcelo Bielsa. Major rebuilding has been done, with old legs like Edinson Cavani and Diego Godin having retired.
The current squad is full of young hot talent plying their trades in some of the biggest clubs in the world. Some of them include Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez, Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde, PSG’s Manuel Ugarte, and Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo.
There are home-based players like Maximiliano Araujo of Toluca and Giorgian de Arrascaeta and Nicolas De La Cruz, both of Flamengo who are also a perfect fit for Bielsa’s style of play. They also still have 37-year-old Luis Suarez who still has a trick or two enough to cause more than a few problems.
Aside from just the presence of football talent, they have also backed it up with the kind of performances and results that have had a few people label them as tournament favorites including victories over Brazil in October’s World Cup qualification matches and a solid 2-0 win over Argentina in Buenos Aires the following November.
They’ve started the tournament with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Panama, though Marcelo Bielsa continues to resist the idea that his team may be favorites. Argentina is the reigning world champion and still boasts in their ranks a certain Lionel Messi.
Importantly he feels his team still has a wrinkle or two to sort out, epitomised by his complaints that for 15 minutes during the game against Panama, his opponents controlled the game and created better chances while being a clearly (respectfully) inferior team.
There’s a feeling that at 68, this is Marcelo’s “Last dance” so to speak, his last opportunity to win a major trophy since winning the English Championship and gaining promotion to the English Premier League with Leeds United in the 2019/2020 season. There’s also a healthy dose of optimism that this team has what it takes to go all the way.
Neutrals may hope for an upset, but all indications point to that Uruguay vs Bolivia should be a straightforward win for the overwhelming favorites.
Bolivia: The “Underdogs”
Minnows Bolivia kicked off their Copa America campaign with a 2-0 defeat against the United States and only a brave punter will bet against a Uruguayan in their upcoming clash.
They have won the trophy just once, on home soil in 1963, and came second in 1997, this time as hosts. Outside their homeland, their performances have been ordinary at best and anemic at worst. They have 1 victory in 9 tournaments and have managed to lose their last 12 Copa America fixtures.
National team head coach Antonio Carlos Zago is keeping expectations tame by focusing instead on qualifying for the World Cup so one would expect that progression out of the group would be a significant surprise.
Uruguay vs Bolivia: Head-to-Head
The fixture Uruguay vs Bolivia was played out 12 times between 2003 and 2023. There have been eight Uruguay wins, two draws, and two victories for Bolivia.
Uruguay has won six of their last eight competitive games, losing only to Ecuador while Bolivia has lost their last 12 Copa America games conceding approximately three goals a game.
The last 5 games between both sides have gone thus:
- 10 Oct 2017 (Fifa World Cup) Uruguay vs Bolivia: 4-2
- 24 Jun 2021 (Copa America) Bolivia vs Uruguay: 0-2
- 5 September (Fifa World Cup) Uruguay vs Bolivia: 4-2
- 16 Nov 2021 (Fifa World Cup) Bolivia vs Uruguay : 3-0
- 16 Nov 2023 (Fifa World Cup)Uruguay vs Bolivia: 3-0
Uruguay vs Bolivia Possible Lineup
Uruguay’s possible starting lineup:
Rochet; Nandez, R. Araujo, Olivera, Vina; Valverde, Ugarte; Pellistri, De Arrascaeta, M. Araujo; Nunez
Bolivia’s possible starting lineup:
Viscarra; Je. Segredo, Haquin, Jo. Sagredo; Justiniano; Medina, Terceros, Saucedo, Villamil; Ramallo, Miranda
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