A Must-Win Game for Brazil

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Brazil Slump to Disappointing Draw in Opener On Monday evening, Brazil could only come away with a scoreless draw in their Copa America opener against Costa Rica. Now, Friday’s game versus Paraguay is a must win for Vinicius Jr. and Brazil. Paraguay fell 2-1 to Colombia in their opening match and the Paraguayans need at least a draw to ensure they stay alive. While the Paraguay vs Brazil odds imply the Selecao will put the draw to Costa Rica behind them, we’ll discuss Paraguay’s chances later on.

Paraguay vs. Brazil Date & Time: Friday, June 28th, 9:00 p.m. ET Location: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada

Paraguay vs Brazil Head-to-Head Incredibly, Paraguay haven’t lost any of their last five Copa America matches against Brazil in normal time. These sides last met in the Copa America in the 2019 Quarter-Finals, where Brazil won in penalties after a scoreless draw. The last four Copa America meetings have all finished in draws. This match on the Copa America 2024 schedule marks the third time Paraguay and Brazil are facing off in the 2020s. In 2022 World Cup Qualifiers, Brazil picked up 4-0 and 2-0 wins over Paraguay.

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Paraguay Struggle to Score Paraguay put up a fight against Colombia on Monday but couldn’t get anything from the game. Colombia defeated Paraguay 2-1 in front of a heavily pro-Colombian crowd in Houston. James Rodriguez created both of Colombia’s goals while Ramon Sosa set up a Julio Enciso volley for Paraguay’s second half consolation goal. The goal was Enciso’s first for his country in 15 appearances.

Enciso, who’s just 20 years old and plays for Brighton, is an exciting talent. With Enciso and Miguel Almiron on the frontline perhaps Paraguay should be scoring more goals than they do. In 2024, Paraguay have scored just two times in four matches but they have managed to score in back to back games for the first time in two years. Paraguay have also won only three of their last 15 games, in all competitions.

Still, two of those wins have come in Argentine head coach Daniel Garnero’s first eight matches in charge. Paraguay have only won two of their last 15 Copa America games and last won Copa America in 1979. It’ll be a struggle to get out of the group stage and qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Brazil Frustrated by Costa Rica Brazil outshot Costa Rica 19-3 on Monday but the scoresheet read 0-0. It’s undoubtedly concerning that Brazil have only won two of their last eight matches. Brazil are record five-time World Cup winners yet you’d never know it based on how this iteration of the team plays. They seem low on confidence and Vini Jr. has yet to have a great showing in a tournament for Brazil.

While the frontline of Vini Jr., Rodrygo and Raphinha is undoubtedly talented, it’s lacking a world class finisher. Neymar, who is out injured, has more goals than all of Brazil’s active squad combined. Gabriel Jesus and Richarlison aren’t in Brazil’s squad and they’ve both dealt with injuries throughout the 2023-24 campaign.

The fact that Brazil may need to rely on 17 year old Endrick for goals isn’t a good sign. Still, Brazil are widely expected to finish in the top two places in the Group D Copa America standings. They’ve made it out of the group stage in 13 of the last 14 versions of Copa America.

Paraguay vs Brazil Match Analysis & Odds Most people have little confidence in Brazil’s ability to blow teams away and that’s warranted at this point. Their last two games have finished in draws against CONCACAF sides Costa Rica and USA. So, it’s not a surprise that Paraguay +1.5 sits at -122 odds and Brazil -1.5 comes in at +102.

Still, with a talented roster, Brazil could turn on the jets at some point and there’s no better time than Friday. Three points would go a long way toward knockout stage qualification especially with a tough match versus Colombia coming up. The Paraguay vs Brazil odds currently price Brazil as -300 favorites for Friday’s match while Paraguay are +775 underdogs.

Brazil only put three of their 19 shots against Costa Rica on target and they’ll need to be more clinical on Friday. A second straight Brazil draw sits at +420 odds and while it would spell disaster it’s not out of the question. While the Paraguay vs Brazil odds list over 2.5 goals at -122, Brazil’s recent offensive performances have been lackluster and Paraguay have well documented struggles in front of goal.

Paraguay vs Brazil OddsTeamHandicapParaguay+1½ -122Brazil-1½ +102Can’t get enough? Here’s more! [ad_1]

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