Having only made it out of the group stage once in seven attempts since the turn of the century, Bolivia come into this summer's Copa America with a point to prove.
A solid run of results in the World Cup Qualifiers may give some momentum to Cesar Farias's men, as they look to make it out of their group and go deep into the tournament.
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However, given their fairly lowly status in the current climate of South American football, Bolivia will be out to defy expectations, as they may be predicted to face an early exit from the tournament.
Here, Sports Mole assesses Bolivia's chances at the Copa America.
GROUP
With just two groups in this year's Copa America, you are always bound to be with some of the top sides, and that is the case with Bolivia as they face games against Argentina and Uruguay in the final two rounds of fixtures.
Before those difficult games, Farias's men will look to put points on the board, as they take Paraguay in their opening game in Goiania.
They then clash with Chile, in what will be another difficult game, but a win in that could be crucial if they are to qualify for the final eight, given the difficulty of their final two matches.
FIXTURES
June 15: Paraguay vs. Bolivia (1am BST, Estadio Olimpico Pedro Ludovico, Goiania)
June 18: Chile vs. Bolivia (10pm BST, Arena Pantanal, Cuiaba)
June 24: Bolivia vs. Paraguay (10pm BST, Arena Pantanal, Cuiaba)
June 29: Bolivia vs. Argentina (1am BST, Arena Pantanal, Cuiaba)
RECENT FORM
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Bolivia do come into this tournament in a decent run of form by their own standards, having recently played two World Cup Qualifying games.
In their first game, Farias's men took on Venezuela, with a Marcelo Moreno brace and a Diego Bejarano goal sealing a comfortable 3-1 win.
They then took on Chile, earning a creditable point in a 1-1 draw, as Moreno again got on the scoresheet to equalise in the final 10 minutes from the penalty spot following Erick Pulgar's opener for their opponents.
While they remain in eighth spot in their qualifying group, that is down to a poor start, and the Greens could quickly rise up the table if they manage to continue their impressive turn in form after the Copa America, while they will look to use their momentum to break out of the group, especially as they take on Paraguay and Chile in their first two outings.
SQUAD
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Goalkeepers: Carlos Lampe (Always Ready), Ruben Cordano (Boliviar), Javier Rojas (Boliviar).
Defenders: Diego Bejarano (Boliviar), Jose Sagredo (The Strongest), Luis Haquin (Melipilla), Enrique Flores (Always Ready), Adrian Jusino (AEL), Oscar Ribera (Blooming), Roberto Fernandez (Boliviar), Jairo Quinteros (Boliviar), Luis Rene Barboza (Aurora).
Midfielders: Juan Carlos Arce (Always Ready), Leonel Justiniano (Boliviar), Danny Bejarano (Lamia), Erwin Saavedra (Boliviar), Diego Wayar (The Strongest), Henry Vaca (Oriente Petrolero), Ramiro Vaca (The Strongest), Erwin Sanchez (Blooming), Boris Cespedes (Servette), Moises Villarroel (Jorge Wilstermann).
Forwards: Marcelo Moreno (Cruzeiro), Gilbert Alvarez (Jorge Wilstermann), Rodrigo Ramallo (Always Ready), Jeyson Chura (The Strongest), Jaume Cuellar (SPAL)
STAR PLAYER - Marcelo Moreno
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Undoubtedly the talisman for his side, Martins leads Bolivia's all-time scoring chart with 25 goals in 83 international appearances.
Believed to be one of the greatest strikers in the nation's history, Martins has had a clinical career taking him all over the globe, with his best times arguably coming in China between 2015 and 2018 as he hit 22 goals in 53 appearances for Changchun Yatai before netting 25 goals in 34 outings for Wuhan Zall.
The striker comes into this tournament in fine form on the international stage, having netted six goals in his last six appearances, taking him over Joaquin Botero's previous goalscoring record of 20 goals for Bolivia.
After a brief spell in retirement in 2015, the key man was tempted back by the then new manager Angel Guillermo Hoyos, and he will be crucial if they are to go far in the tournament this time around, as he is the only man to find the net in the knockout stage in this squad, having scored a penalty in their quarter-final defeat to Peru in 2015.
MANAGER - Cesar Farias
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Cesar Farias is no stranger to the Copa America, having taken Venezuela to their best finish in 2011.
An unbeaten group stage was followed by a 2-1 victory over Chile in the quarter-finals, thanks to Gabriel Cichero's late winner, seeing La Tricolor make the semi-finals for the first time in their history.
While Farias was not quite able to take his side all the way, they only lost to Paraguay on a penalty shootout, coming agonisingly close to their first final.
Venezuela's quick drop since then suggests Farias did well to get the best out of a sub-par group of players.
He will hope to work that ability into his Bolivia tenure, as he heads into his first Copa America with his new side.
The signs do look fairly positive, as he delivered a strong campaign in the CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament in 2020, picking up commendable wins over both Uruguay and Peru, and only missing out on qualification on goal difference.
If Bolivia are to defy the odds and go far in this year's tournament, it may be largely down to Farias's nous at this level.
COPA AMERICA RECORD
Best finish: Winners (1963)
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While Bolivia do not boast the most experience in the Copa America, having missed 19 separate editions of the tournament since its inception, they are one of the eight sides that can say they have lifted the trophy.
In 1963, La Verde hosted the then-named South American Championship, and secured their first title with an impressive run.
Bolivia topped their group without suffering a defeat, and went on to defeat Peru 3-2 and Paraguay 2-0 to reach the final, which saw them win a dramatic game against Brazil 5-4 to lift their first and only trophy to date, as Maximo Alcocer netted the winning goal in the 86th minute.
While they have not been able to recreate those heroics since, the Greens did go on an impressive run to the final in 1997, when they again hosted the tournament.
The host nation topped their group, having won all three matches, and defeated Colombia 2-1 to reach the final four.
They then picked up a comfortable 3-1 victory over Mexico, but fell short in the final, losing 3-1 to a strong Brazil side to narrowly miss out on their second trophy.
Having only made it out of the group stage on one occasion since that 1997 triumph, Bolivia will be desperate for a strong campaign to match the renowned runs of 1963 and 1997, breaking the poor run of form in continental action.
PREDICTION
In a competitive group, Bolivia will likely find themselves in a battle with Chile and Paraguay for two spots, as Argentina and Uruguay are expected to cruise through in the top two spots.
We see Chile taking one of the spots, and unfortunately we would not be surprised to see Bolivia narrowly finish at the bottom of their group, missing out on the knockout stages.
While they will have a strong chance of qualifying if they can defeat Paraguay, we see them being slightly outclassed in that game, leading to the Greens finishing at the foot of group B.
VERDICT: Group stage
Sam Varley
