Copa America 2015: Group B Preview - Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Jamaica
Group B is one of the toughest groups of Copa America 2015 as it consists of favourites Argentina along with Uruguay and Paraguay who were finalists of Copa America 2011. Argentina are probably the strongest side in the tournament and are expected to go through. But it won't be a cakewalk as last edition’s finalists Uruguay and Paraguay will provide some tough matches for Messi and Co.
Both Uruguay and Paraguay are difficult sides to beat while Jamaica come to the Chile on the back of a Carribean Cup victory and friendly wins over Venezuela and Cuba.
Group B Schedule
| Match | Fixture | Date | Time (IST) | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Uruguay vs Jamaica | June 14 | 12:30 AM | Estadio Regional Calvo y Bascuñán, Antofagasta |
| 4 | Argentina vs Paraguay | June 14 |
3:00 AM |
Estadio La Portada de La Serena, La Serena |
| 9 | Paraguay vs Jamaica | June 17 | 2:30 AM | Estadio Regional Calvo y Bascuñán, Antofagasta |
| 10 | Argentina vs Uruguay | June 17 | 5:00 AM | Estadio La Portada de La Serena, La Serena |
| 15 | Uruguay vs Paraguay | June 21 | 12:30 AM | Estadio La Portada de La Serena, La Serena |
| 16 | Argentina vs Jamica | June 21 | 3:30 AM | Estadio Sausalito, Viña del Mar |
Venues
Of the six group games, La Serena, Chile’s second oldest city will play host to three games, two games are held at Antofagasta, a port city in the North of Chile, and the remaining game will be played at Vina del Mar which is the fourth largest city in Chile.
| Stadium | Capacity* |
|---|---|
| Estadio La Portada de La Serena | 18,500 |
| Estadio Regional, Antofagasta | 21,178 |
| Estadio Sausalito, Viña del Mar | 18,037 |
*capacity as per FIFA website.
The conditions in La Sererna will be perfect for football as the temperature will hover around 13-18C and the humidity will vary from mild to very humid. Antofagasta is pretty much similar to that of La Sererna as both are in Northern Chile. Vina del Mar will be colder than the other two cities with the average temperature expected to be around 6-14C, but the humidity levels will be similar.
Team Guide
1) Argentina (FIFA Ranking – 3)
With the kind of squad the 14-time winners have, a group stage exit seems almost impossible. With players like Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain, Lavezzi, Carlos Tevez, Angel Di Maria, Javier Mascherano, Pablo Zabletta and arguably the greatest player right now, Lionel Messi, qualification for the knockout is almost guaranteed. Coach Tata Martino has preferred to stick with almost the same lineup that finished runners-up at the 2014 World Cup.
La Albiceleste have one of the best strike forces in the world and the midfield also looks good on the paper with the likes of Mascherano, Gago, Banega and Pastore. Di Maria’s form was a cause of worry after a mixed season at Manchester United, but his performances in the friendlies have been exceptional. The central defence is the only area that will give Martino a headache . Enzo Perez and Mateo Musacchio will miss out due to injuries.
Afer missing out in Brazil last year, this would be their chance for glory. The fact that they have not won it since 1993 will only make them work harder. One man who will definitely be up for it would be their captain Lionel Messi. After a phenomenal season with Barcelona, he would want to win this, especially with all the criticism he gets for his performances in the international arena.
Key Player – Lionel Messi
2) Uruguay (FIFA ranking – 8)
The defending Copa America champions will be looking to win their 16th title in 2015. They will be with without their mercurial striker Luis Suarez due to the ban he received after the infamous biting incident in the World Cup. They will also miss the services of Diego Forlan who retired from international football recently. He was an instrumental part of their international set up over the last 10 years.
Uruguayan coach Oscar Tabarez has changed his usual policy of selecting experienced players this time by dropping veterans like former captain Diego Lugano, Diego Perez and Walter Gargano. La Celeste will rely on Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani, who is coming off an outstanding season as the 2014/15 Ligue 1 top goalscorer with 31 goals.
Defence is probably their strongest unit with a mix of experience and youth. Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin has come into his own over the last few years and is widely regarded as one of La Liga’s best and he will be expected to hold the defence together along with his young teammate Jose Gimenez and experienced wing backs like Maxi Pereira and Alvaro Pereira. But the midfield is the biggest worry as it looks a bit light on paper. Without the trickery of Suarez, they might have problems in creating chances.
Tabarez is leading a side that has mix of experience and few up and coming youngsters like Giorgian De Arrascaeta and Diego Rolan. This will be major chance for them to prove their worth before the world cup qualifiers
Key player – Edinson Cavani
3) Paraguay (FIFA Ranking – 85)
They were runners-up at the last edition of the tournament, but this time Paraguay coach Ramon Diaz sees the regional tournament as a warm-up towards the classification stage for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Since the last Copa America, they have been having an unstable period, which saw them sack three coaches.
The end result was that they did not qualify for 2014 World Cup. Ramon Diaz came in thereafter and has steadied the ship to a certain extent. Diaz says he aims at building a younger squad, leaving behind the veterans.
He has mixed experience of captain Roque Santa Cruz (former Manchester City and Blackburn striker), centre back Paulo Da Silva who has 122 appearances to his name and goalkeeper Justo Villar with talented young midfielder Oscar Romero and striker Raul Bobadilla.
A lot will depend on San Lorenzo midfielder Nestor Ortigoza, who plays a major role in attack as well as defence. Their key player would be Lucas Barrios who scored 12 goals for French side Montepillier this season. It would be a successful campaign if they qualify for the next round.
Key Player – Lucas Barrios
4) Jamaica (FIFA Ranking – 65)
The Reggae Boyz have been invited to the Copa America tournament for the first time – an important accomplishment for the Caribbean side. Considered the tournament's Cinderella story, Jamaica will look to surprise South American teams given the little experience CONMEBOL teams have against the Jamaican squad.
However, coach Winfried Schäfer, who won the African Cup of Nations with Cameroon in 2002, has his work cut of for him with Jamaica having to play Argentina and defending champions Uruguay. They won the last edition of the Carribbean Cup in 2014 and have also done well to beat teams like Venezuela and Cuba in friendlies.
With half of the team plying their trade in England, one can expect them to be physical and quick. But it will be hard for them to qualify for the knockout stages.
Key player – Rodolph Austin
Key Fixtures
Paraguay vs Uruguay: The outcome of this match would be the most important one to decide who will finish runners-up to Argentina. It will be a rematch of last edition’s final.
On paper Uruguay looks far stronger and experienced. If Paraguay can beat Jamaica and somehow manage to hold on for a draw against Uruguay, then they might have chance to qualify for the next round as one of the two best third-placed teams. It will be a tremendous achievement for them if they manage to do so.
Argentina vs Uruguay: It will be matcha between Argentina’s attack and Uruguay’s defence. Argentina would want to finish top of the group to avoid facing Brazil in the next round.
Prediction
Argentina to go through as table toppers with Uruguay finishing second. Paraguay has a real chance to go through as one of the best third place teams. They will have to concede less against Argentina and score a few against Jamaica if they are to do it.