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Group D of the Copa America 2024 It is one of the most attractive in the tournament. “There are two teams in replacement. Others that have young players. It will be a difficult area,” said coach Luis Fernando Suárez. In this area, which will be the last to start competitions, there are two strong candidates to win the title: Brazil and Colombia.
This will be the second consecutive time that the two selected teams share a zone. In the 2021 edition, which was played in Brazilian territory and in which there were two groups of 5 teams, both were in Group B. That time the Cariocas finished first, with 10 points. La Tricolor was third with 4, behind Peru, second with 7.
But in Group D’s fight to advance to the round of 16 in this edition they will also be Costa Rica and Paraguay. Both selected teams will seek to surprise. The Ticos cling to their new coach’s knowledge of South American soccer. The Guaraníes want to straighten the path, after having a bad start in the qualifying rounds.
The Tricolor, to touch glory again after 23 years
The Colombian National Team is seeking its second Copa América title. The only one he has was achieved in the 2001 edition, which was played on national territory. The team led by Nestor Lorenzo favorite for the title.
Soccer experts say that he has the obligation to, at least, reach the final. The 23 undefeated games since February 2022 support this. Furthermore, the 15 wins and 5 draws that he has achieved since the Argentine helmsman took office almost two years ago, excites fans that this year the second Copa América will arrive in the country.
But the “favoritism” of the Tricolor is not only due to numbers. Also to the good football he has shown. “In this edition Colombia will have a solid team, not just individuals. The team has been playing well. It seems to me that what they do on the field is very important,” analyzed Luis Fernando Suárez. The coffee growers also have a good record: they were third in the last edition of the tournament, which was played in 2021. In addition, they arrive with a good performance in the qualifiers for the North American 2026 World Cup: they are third with 12 units.
Figure: “I fight”, the joy that commands the Creole attack
At this moment the guajiro extreme Luis Diaz He is the great figure of Colombian soccer in the world. The Liverpool player from England shines with his own light. His “hand-to-hand” ability, speed, and scoring instinct have made him one of the most sought-after soccer players on the market. According to Transfermarkt, “Lucho” Lucho’s pass costs 75 million euros. He is the eighth most expensive player in the Copa América. Furthermore, when he plays with the National Team he gives himself too much. He scored a goal in the last friendly.
Brazil, between the replacement and the brilliance of its figures
This will be the first edition of the Cup since 2011 in which Neymar He will not be part of the Brazilian national team squad. He is injured. The Brazil National Team squad for this Copa América has a mix of experience and youth.
In the team led by Dorival Junior Since January of this year, there are names like the experienced central defender Marquinhos (30 years old) who will play in the tournament for the fifth time, and Endrick, the young gem that Real Madrid recently bought, who is 17 and will play in his first edition of the tournament continental.
The team is experiencing a generational change, which has partly been due to the level that players like Vinicius and Rodrygo, but it has also been due to the obligation that the injury of several important footballers led to. Furthermore, since “Tite” left the “canarinha” bench, the team has experienced a bit of instability. They lost the unbeaten streak of 8 years without losing in the qualifiers that they had since 2015, after losing to Uruguay on the fourth date on the road to North America 2026. They are sixth in the qualifiers with 7 points.
Figure: Vinicius, for the golden ball in the Copa América?
Vinicius Junor is one of the 3 most expensive footballers in the world. The young Brazilian winger is valued at 180 million euros, like his Real Madrid teammates Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé. “Vini” has enviable skill and infernal speed. To that he has added a scoring ability in recent times thanks to the work of Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid. That led him to shine in La League and the Champions. Now, in his second Copa América, he hopes to lead Brazil to the title and establish himself as a candidate for the Ballon d’Or.
Ticos seek prominence in their new path
The Costa Rican team, without the goalkeeper Keylor Navas, which has been his emblem, begins the era of Argentine coach Gustavo Alfaro on the bench. Costa Rica is, like so many teams in America, a team that is in the process of making a generational transition.
For that, the directors of the Federation hired the Argentine Gustavo Alfarowho had on his resume the good presentation he achieved with “el kinder” from Ecuador in the Conmebol qualifiers for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
The South American helmsman knows the football of this part of the continent well and has the responsibility of returning the Ticos to prominence, after having been eliminated in the group stage of the World Cup that was played in the Middle East and having been eliminated in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Gold Cup against Mexico. The Central Americans, who will participate for the sixth time in a Copa América (they were previously in the 1997, 2001, 2004, 2011 and 2016 editions), hope to surprise with their young footballers and without the presence of goalkeeper Keylor Navas, their great emblem .
Figure: Campbell brings experience to the Costa Rican team
The far right Joel Campbell He will play the third Copa América of his career with the Costa Rica National Team. He is 31 years old and now plays in the Alajuelense from his native country. However, when he was a young man of 18 he made the leap to the Old Continent, he was a figure that promised a lot. He arrived at Arsenal in England after shining in the U-20 World Cup that was played in Colombia in 2011 and in the Copa América that year.
He was in important teams such as Lorient in France, Olympiakos in Greece, Villarreal, Sporting Prague, among others. In those years he played in the centenary Copa América, which was held in the United States in 2016.
Paraguay dreams of a final after 13 years
The Paraguayan national team has won two Copa América titles. The last time they played in a final was in Argentina 2011. They lost to Uruguay. On that occasion the Guaraníes, then led by the Argentine Gerardo Martino, reached the final. He lost the final duel against Uruguay.
In that edition, the “last dance” of iconic players such as Justo Villar, Roque Santa Cruz, Enrique Vera, among others, who were also at the World Cup in South Africa, the last one they qualified for. After that to the Paraguayan team, which is now led by the Argentine Daniel Garnero (the most successful coach in the last 9 years in the Guaraní league), seek to improve the campaigns he did in the 2016 editions of the continental tournament (eliminated in the group stage), 2019 (eliminated in the quarterfinals) and 2021 (quarterfinals, of new), and get closer to what they did in 2015 (they were third) or 13 years ago, when they played in the final.
Figure: Miguel Almirón provides speed, technique and strength
Miguel Almirón is 30 years old. He plays for Newcastle in the English Premier League. He is a fast, skilled footballer who has strength and likes to go on the attack, especially in “one on one”, where he takes advantage of his rivals. He plays as a midfielder or winger and is the figure of the Paraguay National Team in this edition of the Copa América. The experience he has gained in Europe makes him the “different player” of the Guaraníes. This will be his fourth participation in the continental tournament. He was in 2016, 2019 and 2021.
