Brazil take on Chile in the Copa America quarter-finals on Saturday, as the defending champions look to book their place in the final four of the tournament.

The host nation qualified at the top of their group, although they did finish with a disappointing draw against Ecuador, while their opponents managed to finish in fourth spot in group A despite an underwhelming end to their group campaign.

Match preview

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Having come in with major expectations to retain the Copa America title on home soil after lifting the trophy in 2019, Brazil almost seamlessly cruised through the group stage, winning their first three matches.

The Selecao looked particularly formidable in their first two games, as goals from Marquinhos, Neymar and Gabriel Barbosa fired them to a 3-0 win over Venezuela, before they thrashed Peru 4-0 in the following match.

In that game, Alex Sandro opened the scoring in the first half and Neymar would double their lead in the 68th minute before late goals from Everton Ribeiro and Richarlison sealed a dominant win for Tite's men.

They then kept their perfect start going against Colombia, in a much tighter affair, as the defending champions trailed for the majority of the encounter following Luis Diaz's stunning opener.

It took until the 78th minute for Brazil to equalise through Roberto Firmino, and all three points would be sealed when Casemiro headed in a corner in the 10th minute of added time.

However, they were held to a disappointing result last time out, as an Angel Mena equaliser after Eder Militao's opener saw Ecuador come away with a 1-1 draw in the final group game, not allowing the Selecao to continue building momentum going into the quarter-finals.

Nevertheless, Tite and his side will remain very confident going into Saturday's clash with the country's expectations on their shoulders, as they aim to make a fairly smooth passage through to the semi-finals.

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In their way stands a Chile side who will also aim to bounce back from a disappointing end to the group stage, having lost their final game 2-0 at the hands of Paraguay.

Braian Samudio put their opponents ahead in the 33rd minute, and Miguel Almiron made no mistake in converting a penalty to double their lead and put the game out of sight on the hour mark.

That followed a much more positive start to the campaign, as they earned commendable points in 1-1 draws with the two group favourites Argentina and Uruguay, as well as defeating Bolivia 1-0.

Eduardo Vargas was on the scoresheet in both draws to earn his side two crucial points, levelling the game after Lionel Messi's free kick for Argentina, while he gave his side the lead against Uruguay before Luis Suarez drew La Celeste level.

Ben Brereton was the hero in their only win of the tournament so far, as his goal in the 10th minute against Bolivia was the difference between the two sides and one of the main reasons why they find themselves in the quarter-finals.

Although the odds are somewhat stacked against Martin Lasarte's men, they will know that they have the quality in their side to pull off an upset, and La Roja will certainly battle hard against the tournament favourites.

Team News

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Brazil made several changes for the final group game with Ecuador, giving rests to some key players, and they will revert back to a full-strength side on Saturday.

That will see star man Neymar return to the front line, having hit two goals and two assists in the first three games of the group stage.

Liverpool stopper Alisson Becker should continue between the sticks, having narrowly pipped Manchester City's Ederson to the starting spot last time out.

Chile are expected to remain without talismanic forward Alexis Sanchez, who was ruled out indefinitely with an injury picked up immediately before the tournament.

In his absence, the line has been led well by Eduardo Vargas, who has netted two goals to earn draws in tough clashes for his side.

They could also remain without centre-back Guillermo Maripan, who has been one of the standout performers at the tournament for his nation, after he missed the defeat to Paraguay through injury.

They do boast an experienced spine though, with Arturo Vidal and Charles Aranguiz operating in the midfield, having made a combined 209 international appearances, while Gary Medel will look to keep it tight at the back, shielding former Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.

Brazil possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Emerson, Militao, Marquinhos, Sandro; Richarlison, Fabinho, Casemiro, Everton; Neymar, Jesus

Chile possible starting lineup:
Bravo; Isla, Medel, Sierralta, Mena; Vidal, Aranguiz, Alarcon; Pinares, Vargas, Brereton

We say: Brazil 2-0 Chile

With expectations as high as ever, the Selecao should be able to negotiate their way through a tricky clash with Chile on Saturday, given their slightly superior quality all over the pitch.

At full strength, their attack should have enough to break down Chile's ageing back line, while they have shown plenty of solidity at the back, shipping just two goals from their four games so far.

Written by
Sam Varley

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