First appearance at the Copa America: Canada one step away from the semi-finals!
by Azadeh Ghavidel | by Azadeh Ghavidel
Canada’s Copa America debut has gone incredibly well so far, after booking a spot in their first quarterfinals in the competition. Jesse Marsch’s side will take on surprise package Venezuela at Arlington’s AT&T stadium after finishing second in Group A. The Canadians are hoping to secure their second win in the competition, while Venezuela heads into the game as one of the best-performing teams from the group stage.
So can the invitees, Canada outrank Venezuela to end their unbeaten run to advance to the semi-finals in their 2024 Copa America campaign? Here’s a preview of how in-form Venezuela is ranking against the dark horse Canada in this thrilling quarter-final fixture.
Will the Copa America invitees continue their surprising run against Venezuela?
Heading into this tournament, Venezuela is among the three teams that have maintained a 100% unbeaten run in the Copa America tournament. Venezuela finished their group stage campaign with five points above Canada, which will boost their confidence heading into this fixture.
La Vinotino crashed Mexico, Ecuador, and Jamaica in their Group B campaign to book a spot in this encounter. A second-half surge saw Venezuela book a 3-0 victory over the Jamaicans in their last group-stage match, recording their biggest win after beating Chile with a similar margin in 2023. As such, Venezuela heads into this match as the bookmaker’s favorite and football betting experts tip La Vinotino to win this fixture against Canada.
Canada, on the other hand, has come as a surprise to many as not many people expected them to reach the quarterfinals in their debut tournament. The Canadians started their campaign with a disappointing loss against the title holders Argentina in their Group A fixture, but they managed to bounce back with a slight 1-0 victory over Peru. They also secured a vital point to finish their group stage campaign second after holding Chile to a goalless draw.
While the Canadians come across as a team with a solid defense, they have shown their attack needs improvement. Canada have only recorded a single goal in their last five fixtures, with Jonathan David’s recording their single score against Peru in the group stage. However, the Les Rouges' luck might be running out as they face one of the best in-form teams in the competition.
Canada vs Venezuela Team News
Venezuela is expected to revert to their strong line-up after coach Batista rotated his team during their last group stage match. Jefferson Savarino and Yeferson Soteldo are expected to get recalled, while Lille’s star player Jonathan David will be behind Mallorca’s frontman Cyle Larin as the Canadian attempts to upset the Venezuelans.
Canada will go against the Venezuelans without the services of Inter Milan star Tajon Buchanan, who has played every group-stage fixture. The midfielder will be nursing a lower-leg injury suffered while training for this fixture, but no confirmation has been made regarding the length of his injury. However, many predict that his run in the Copa America tournament has come to an end.
