Preview
The weeks leading up to the 2021 Copa America tournament has been rough and tumultuous, but despite all of this, kick-off for this highly-prestigious South American competition is finally here! Brazil are gearing up to take on Venezuela this Sunday in the opening tie, with this Estádio Nacional de Brasília showdown set to get underway at 5 p.m. ET as the Selecao look to embark on their title defense with a win.
Much of the controversy regarding this edition of Copa America, which was postponed from last year due to the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, came out of the Brazil camp. The five-time World Cup winners agreed to host the tournament after Argentina passed up that responsibility due to their ongoing fight with the coronavirus.
This switch, however, came just over a week before the tournament's kick off and sparked protest from Tite's players. Led by the likes of Casemiro and Neymar, the Canarinho squad met with their FA in disagreement with this decision and even contemplated boycotting the competition given their country's own battle with COVID-19, with Brazil suffering from the third highest number of cases and the second highest death toll in the world.
The matter has since been resolved and the action will go ahead as planned, with the defending champions hosting Venezuela according to schedule. Victory will be crucial as a slip-up could have a detrimental effect on the team's morale.
Fortunately, form is on the side of the Selecao. The title holders have won their last seven games in a row and have not lost a competitive tie since their 2-1 defeat to Belgium in the e2018 World Cup quarter-finals. In fact, these two sides met late last year, with Roberto Firmino scoring the only goal en route to a narrow 1-0 triumph in that World Cup qualifier.
La Vinotinto's form, on the other hand, makes for a terrible read, having picked up only one win from their last six outings, that being a surprise 2-1 triumph over Chile. That victory over La Roja remains their only win from the six 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers they've played so far, losing four and drawing once. As a result, Venezuela sit above only Peru, Brazil's next opponent in the Copa America, in the race to qualify for Qatar 2022. Victory over the Selecao, however, would make amends for their poor results.
Team news
Brazil: Daniel Alves, the iconic fullback who played a key role in the Selecao's 2019 Copa America success, was not called up to the squad due to an unfortunate injury. Similarly, Thiago Silva is struggling for fitness after suffering an injury in the UEFA Champions League final, meaning Marquinhos and Eder Militao will likely be the center-back partnership. Neymar and Roberto Firmino are all but destined to spearhead Tite's attack.
Venezuela: Injury has ruled out La Vinotinto's all-time top scorer Salomon Rondon from this competition. Venezuela have no injury concerns with the players called up, with Peseiro likely to start with a back five in order to shore up the defense.
Key stats
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This will be the 28th encounter between these two teams.
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Brazil boast the superior head-to-head record, and by a landslide, winning 22 of their 27 previous showdowns.
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Venezuela have managed only two wins over the Selecao.
Broadcast listings
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
