Uruguay vs Bolivia preview, team news, tickets & prediction | OneFootball

One of the favourites for the 2024 Copa America is in Matchday 2 action against lowly Bolivia in a mismatched Group C clash.

Uruguay will hope to take advantage of what is their easiest fixture on paper against a side ranked 84th in the World Rankings.

Uruguay won their group stage game 2-0 at the Copa America in 2021 and although Bolivia have won two and drawn two of their last 12 head-to-head meetings in all competitions, Uruguay have won the others by quite big margins.

Thus, Bolivia are the kindest opponents Los Charruas could have been given after what also appears a similarly straightforward opening fixture against Panama.

Uruguay are two-time World Cup winners and they have won the Copa America a joint record 15 times, with their most recent title coming in 2011. La Celeste come into the tournament with a lot of pedigree and talent on and off the pitch, with Marcelo Bielsa at the helm.

The Argentine was appointed in May 2023 to become only the second non-Uruguayan manager to coach the national team, before leading the side to record-breaking wins against Brazil and his native country.

14 new players were called up for Bielsa’s first batch of friendly matches against Nicaragua and Cuba with veteran names such as Edinson Cavani, Fernando Muslera and Luis Suárez all dropped from the squad.

The tactician was indeed vindicated as he led the team to a 4-1 victory over Nicaragua and a 2–nil win in the latter game. Bielsa stuck to his big calls in the opening FIFA World Cup qualifier at home to Chile which ended in a 3–1 victory.

Another win against Ecuador followed and they drew 2-2 with Colombia thanks to Darwin Nunez’s late penalty equaliser. A historic victory was then witnessed at Estadio Centenario when Uruguay defeated Brazil 2–0 to end 22-year wait for a win against the five-time world champions and hand the Samba Boys their first loss in qualifiers since 2015.

Lightning struck twice for Uruguay as they also defeated Argentina at La Bombonera the following month thanks to goals from Ronald Araujo and Nunez. The win was Uruguay’s first against Argentina for a decade and the world champion’s first defeat in qualification in 25 games.

A 3–0 home victory against Bolivia ended 2023 on a high but they will be cautious after registering a draw and a defeat against the Basque Country and African champions, Ivory Coast.

Uruguay will be cheered on by emotional support at the Copa America and boast exciting talents such as Darwin Nunez, Nicolas de la Cruz, Federico Valverde, Manuel Ugarte and more.

Given their form in the World Cup qualifiers, as well as the level of quality present in their ranks, the Uruguayans have a genuine chance of going all the way this summer.

Bolivia, meanwhile, won the Copa America at home in 1963 and finished runners-up in 1997. However, rrom 1999 to 2021, they only won a single match (3–2 vs Ecuador in 2015).

>Bolivia have lost all their games at the last three continental tournaments and Antonio Carlos Zago, who was appointed as head coach in late 2023, has a big job on his hands.

Their bad performances in recent tournaments must be washed out of the system quickly, and getting a result against the US would represent a dream start to their campaign.

There was a single win from the first five friendly matches of 2023 and their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign didn’t get off to the best start with heavy defeats to both Brazil and Argentina in September.

Two more defeats followed and Gustavo Costas was sacked, before his successor inspired a reaction with a 2-0 home victory over Peru, their first win of the campaign.

Bolivia were close to starting 2024 with a draw against 2019 African champions Algeria but Aissa Mandi scored a late winner. However, they made amends with a 1-0 victory over Andorra thanks to Ramiro Vaca’s goal in the first half.

They go in as firm underdogs in this game but Bolivia must keep the belief if they are to put an end to their rotten luck in the last three editions of the Copa America. The first two games against the USA and Uruguay will be very tough but they must focus on upsetting the odds and getting a result from either game.

Match tickets

This Copa America showdown is scheduled to take place on Friday, 28 June 2024 with kick-off scheduled for 2 AM UK time. Match tickets are available for sale on the websites of both national federations as well as the Copa America organizers so you can hurry to purchase yours.

The MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey is the venue for this encounter and it is set to be filled with around 82,000 passionate supporters of both teams. Official channels may already be overwhelmed by ticket orders, so getting match tickets might be quite difficult. Supporters who are making the trip to Uruguay vs Bolivia can also find their tickets on resale sites.

Team news

Uruguay had the likes of Matias Vecino, Facundo Torres, Ronald Araujo, Rodrigo Zalazar and Bruno Mendez all return to their clubs after the first match of their friendlies in March 2024. They will hope to be able to count on a fully fit squad to choose from when the tournament nears.

Bolivia have a clean bill of health and it is pertinent that their best players are fit for these important matches.

Line-ups

Darwin Nunez is the spearhead of this Uruguay team with his tireless work rate and selfless presence up front. The Liverpool striker will be crucial to their success in terms of goals he scored a brace against Bolivia in November.

Uruguay: Rochet; Araujo, Gimenez, Caceres, Vina; Valverde, Bentancur; Pellistri, De la Cruz, Araujo; Nunez

It is important that Bolivia prioritize protecting Guillermo Viscarra’s goal and the back five in front of him must work as a resilient unit. La Verde can form a solid core and depend on chances from counterattacking situations. <

Bolivia: Viscarra; Medina, Quinteros, Haquin, Suarez, Fernandez; Bejarano, Villamil, Ursino, Vaca; Algarañaz

Prediction

Bolivia are unlikely to cause much trouble to a Uruguay side full of confidence but Bielsa’s men must avoid complacency in a clash they are heavily expected to win. The scoreline from games against the group minnows could be crucial in deciding top spot, so Uruguay will be keen to get a few goals too.

Uruguay 3-0 Bolivia

Read – Five of the best international kits released this month

See more – Five of the worst international kits released this month

Subscribe to our social channels:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | TikTok