Copa America 2015: Live Stream Schedule for Final Quarter-Final Fixture
Eight will soon become four in Copa America 2015, as Brazil and Paraguay play out the final quarter-final fixture on Saturday in Concepcion.
Paraguay emerged through a tough-looking Group B as runners-up to book their place in the last eight, and their stubborn approach in the early stages will likely continue against an out-of-sorts Brazil.
Dunga’s men are yet to really get going in Chile, and if they’re to join the hosts, Peru and Argentina in the semi-finals, they’ll need a big step up. Here’s where you can watch the action unfold in what’s set to be a thrilling evening of Copa America action:
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Date: Saturday, June 27
Time: 5:30 p.m. ET/10:30 p.m. BST
Venue: Estadio Municipal Alcaldesa Ester Roa Rebolledo, Concepcion
TV Info: beIN Sports 1 (U.S. only)
Live Stream: beIN Sports CONNECT (U.S. only)
Paraguay Looking to Exploit Vulnerable Brazilians
Paraguay’s group-stage campaign was a lesson in how to cope with fearsome attacking lines. Impressive draws against Argentina and Uruguay epitomise how Ramon Diaz has his side playing, and they’ll likely be at it again when they take on the talented Brazilian forwards.
Neymar’s suspension means that Paraguay will have one less player to worry about, but the likes of Willian, Phillippe Countinho and Liverpool new boy Roberto Firmino can undoubtedly cause problems.
Still, Paraguay’s remarkable spirit of digging deep and getting the job done could well see them prevail—if they can come from 2-0 down against Argentina to draw, the Brazilians are surely a doddle.
Diaz will likely set his team up with defending in mind, ensuring his midfield stay close together and try to prevent Brazil’s explosive attack from dictating the game.
That much is easier said than done, sure, but with holding midfielder Victor Caceres in strong form and playing against a familiar style of opposition, it could well be the case.
The Flamengo man has been at the heart of everything positive for Paraguay defensively during the tournament, and he recently called on his side to put together the “perfect” performance to see off the Brazilians—per Copa America:
"Victor Cáceres: #PAR need to play a perfect match against #BRA http://t.co/jHbzd2mcrv pic.twitter.com/HzTMqrf2uJ
— Copa América 2015 (@ca2015_en) June 23, 2015"
Diaz is confident that his side can produce such a performance, too, as he said that his players are fully prepared for the job at hand and feeling confident—per Ben Hayward of the Copa America’s official website:
"It's the most important one. To be representing an entire country and what that means, the future of these players. We are going to give everything we can to try to make it through. We want to advance and this is a final for us. We are in our best moment. It will be a hard, intense game, but we are confident we will play a great match. We have had a relaxed week to work on everything: the mental aspect, tactics, dead balls. We are very well prepared.
"
Brazil, meanwhile, have been anything but perfect during the Copa America and looked incredibly vulnerable in the final stages of their last-16 triumph over Venezuela—a sentiment echoed by ESPN’s Miguel Delaney:
However, they did seem to cope well with the mercurial Neymar’s absence, as rather than licking their wounds, they just got on with the job at hand.
Brazil have a knack of peaking at the right time in tournaments—forget about the 2014 World Cup, of course—and while things haven’t exactly gone to plan in Chile so far, it could all come together soon.
BBC Sport journalist Tim Vickery agrees, as he wrote at ESPN FC stating that despite Brazil’s injury woes, they’re looking strong:
"Attacking midfielder Oscar, right back Danilo and holding midfielder Luiz Gustavo are all injured. The absence of the latter appears to have forced Dunga to drop David Luiz and the introduce Thiago Silva at centre back alongside Miranda, which has strengthened the defence. And with Robinho knitting the side together nicely in the last game against Venezuela, and Willian providing the necessary spark in the final 30 metres, Brazil still go into the game as favourites.
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As the Copa America has already taught us, though, being the favourites isn’t always enough.
Paraguay’s plan will be to catch the Brazilians on the counter-attack and exploit their defensive line, and they’ve certainly proved themselves more than capable of that during the tournament.
The first goal could well be the most important in Concepcion, as if Paraguay are forced to chase the game early on, it could play in Brazil’s hands.
