Brazil vs Paraguay Prediction & Betting Tips - Copa America

Prediction published on 24/06/2019, 22:06  by Donal Kearns | Modified on 27/06/2019 at 18:28 in Copa America Predictions

Hosts Brazil are back in action in the early hours of Friday, as they chase a place in the semi-finals of the Copa America. It’s not all been plain sailing for the Brazilians so far, as they’ve come in for criticism from some of their supporters regarding the style of play. There’s obviously a huge Neymar-sized gap in the side, which has put the burden on some of Brazil’s other talents at this tournament. Brazil booked their place in the last eight thanks to taking seven points from a possible nine in the group stage. They dipped in the middle, with their 0-0 draw with Venezuela showing some serious issues for the hosts. With Brazil still dealing from the fallout of the 2014 World Cup, they can’t afford to struggle like that at another home tournament. Can they up their game as the competition reaches the knockout stage? Paraguay are the latest side out to frustrate Brazil after they made it out of Group B. They did lose their final game to Colombia in a 1-0 defeat, but they secured two points from their opening two games. That was just enough to take them through to the next round, but we don’t expect their group stage displays to leave Brazil panicking too much ahead of this encounter. Brazil have had some good results this summer, while they can be especially pleased with their defensive resolve. They’re yet to concede a goal at this tournament, while they are currently on a five-game run without conceding. Those five matches have all come in June, so this is a backline which has plenty of confidence. Given that their competition in goal is between the star goalkeepers of the Premier League’s top two, it’s no surprise that Brazil are a tough nut to crack.