Key events
A fixture between Uruguay and Brazil evokes one match in particular: the Maracanazo. If you’re not familiar with the final game of the 1950 World Cup, it’s a helluva story.
The winners of this game will play Colombia in the semi-finals. They hammered Panama 5-0 in their quarter-final, with James Rodriguez again to the fore.
Brazil team news: Endrick starts
Dorival Junior makes two changes to the side that drew with Colombia. Endrick, the world’s best 17-year-old, replaces the suspended Vinicius Junior and Guilherme Arana is preferred to Wendell at left-back.
BRASIL ESCALADO! 🇧🇷🔥
A Seleção Brasileira enfrenta a Seleção Uruguaia em instantes, a partir das 22h (horário de Brasília), no Allegiant Stadium, em Las Vegas, valendo semifinal da Copa América 2024. É emoção, é garra, é Brasil!
VAAAAAAAAAMOOOOOO 💛💚💛💚 #ThisIsBrasil… pic.twitter.com/kXm1j7EUQx
— CBF Futebol (@CBF_Futebol) July 7, 2024
Uruguay team news
No surprises here: Marcelo Bielsa sticks with the team that beat the USA 1-0.
Rob will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s a quick preview of tonight’s game from Reuters:
Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa has urged his side to come out determined to gain the upper hand when they take on Brazil.
Uruguay, who won all three of their group matches and scored eight goals to finish top of Group C, will be hoping to progress to the semi-finals and the coach will be looking to implement his high-pressing attacking style against the Brazilians.
“Normally I focus on the sector of the pitch we play in, how we recover the ball, whether we threaten and how we threaten, and whether the way we build the attack is the style I want the team to play,” Bielsa told a news conference on Friday.
The coach also said that the suspended Vinicius Jr’s absence from the Brazil team won’t be a factor in their strategy, and described him as the best winger in the world.
“Personally, I don’t think his absence will affect us. Brazil are a country that has a lot of wingers at both ends of the pitch at the moment, and they play in big teams all over the world. Brazil’s replacement, Endrick, will not be easy to neutralise in Vinicius’ absence.”
Bielsa, who missed the 1-0 win over the United States after being suspended by Conmebol, added his absence was irrelevant as their opponents only threatened in the final 10 minutes: “If I had been on the pitch, the result would not have been any better.”