Copa America: has Jonathan David revived Canada's hopes before the match against Chile?

After a disappointing loss to defending champions Argentina in their opening game, tournament debutants Canada bounced back against Peru in a thrilling Group A fixture. The Canadians started the game dominant in possession against Peru’s robust low-block defense setup but failed to capitalize on the opportunity to gain an edge early in the game. However, Jonathan David scored the only goal late in the match to give the Canadians a narrow win.

But has Jonathan David revived Canada’s hopes of flourishing in their 2024 Copa America campaign ahead of their group stage wrap-up match against Chile? Here’s a preview of this thrilling group stage finale as Canada goes against third-placed Chile.

Canada vs Chile Match Preview

Canada will walk into their third Copa America match bolstered by the confidence of their last victory over Peru, with the chance to play in the knockout stage on the line. Their game against Peru was quite physical and they will likely leverage players like Jonathan David to book the second straight victory.

Jesse Marsch’s team endured an intense game to record a narrow 1-0 win over Peru courtesy of Jonathan David’s only goal in the 74th minute. The Canadians booked used a mix of mental and physical strength to record their first win in the competition, something they hope to replicate against Chile. However, they will need more grit to crash Chille.

With only one goal scored in their last game, Canada will need a better attack against Chile. That said, our experts think it will be under 2.5 goals since Canada hasn’t recorded great form either in their last 13 games, after recording only three wins.

Meanwhile, Chile’s aging squad is being blamed for their disappointing performance in the competition. The former South American champions have a major problem in their attack, which has hampered their goal-scoring ability in the competition. Chile hasn’t scored any goals so far, although they saw the net eight times in their last three international friendlies ahead of the tournament.

Chile still has the star players that gave them their first Copa America title about nine years ago, including forward Alexis Sanchez. That might explain why they have only recorded two goals in their last seven games.

Canada vs Chille team analysis

Following his impressive performance over Peru, Jonathan David has proven to be a key cog in Canada’s Copa America campaign. His sole goal that gave Canada its first Copa America victory came with some charm and their fans hope he can follow it up with more goals in this game. The Lille forward has contributed 25 goals in his last 17 games for his club and country, leading to three draws and 14 wins.

Chile hasn’t gotten much from their top scorer Alexis Sanchez in the first two games, which has seen them struggle to yield positive results. However, they don’t have a lot of quality on their roster to afford to bench Sanchez. However, Ben Brereton Diaz might get the chance to start to give Sanchez the much-needed support on the attack.