Which Manchester City players will feature at the 2024 Copa América? | OneFootball

While the majority of Manchester City’s senior players will be away at the 2024 European Championships in Germany, one player will be faced with their own challenges on the other side of the world.

Argentina international forward Julián Álvarez will be competing at the 2024 Copa América, with this year’s tournament held in the United States of America.

This year, the competition will host national teams from two confederations, with 16 countries from the Confederation of North, Central America, and Caribbean Association of Football (CONCACAF), and the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) competing in the tournament.

Having previously won the 2021 Copa América and, most recently, the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Argentina will hope to continue their successes at this year’s tournament. The Argentine national team has won the Copa América on 15 occasions, and the current men’s senior side will hope to add to their streak by winning yet another competition.

Aside from hoping to retain their title, the 2024 Copa América will have additional significance for Argentina.

While these footballers celebrated successes in 2021 and 2022, they have also faced disappointment and failure. Many of the current members of the squad also participated in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the 2016 Copa América, the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and the 2019 Copa América.

In all four of these instances, La Albiceleste failed to win silverware, and even lost in two of the four finals. Furthermore, based on the current age of several members of the squad, it is possible that Copa América may be the final major tournament for these players, handing them extra motivation to claim the title.

Argentina have been placed in Group A in this year’s competition, and will face Peru, Chile, and Canada. It will be a difficult group, but many will expect Argentina to win their group and progress to the knock-out stages. The top two teams from the group will advance to the quarter-finals.

There has however been some negative news elsewhere, with Ederson ruled out of Copa América through a fractured eye socket sustained in Manchester City’s penultimate Premier League contest of last season.

Having sustained the blow during the second-half of the 0-2 win over Tottenham, Ederson was forced to withdraw from the season’s finale against West Ham, as well as the FA Cup Final against Manchester United.

Like their South American rivals, Brazil are also decorated with several accolades. The Canarinha have won the Copa América on nine occasions, most recently in 2019. Only Argentina and Uruguay have more titles, with 15 apiece. By the end of the tournament, the Brazilians will hope to secure their 10th title.

During the previous competition, Brazil breezed past opponents in the group stage, winning three of their four group contests, and drew the remaining match. They outscored the opposition by 10 goals to two, and defeated contenders Chile and Peru in the knock-out stages.

They would be bested, however, by Argentina in the final. The loss to their rivals, and a poor showing at the 2022 FIFA World Cup will likely inspire the Brazilians to put on a stronger performance at this year’s competition.

Brazil have been placed in Group D for this year’s tournament. They will face Colombia, Paraguay, and Costa Rica. Their match-ups will be difficult, as Brazil has recently struggled in some of its international matches, and there are concerns about how well the national team will perform. But the Canarinha will hope to overcome this poor spell and prove their doubters wrong.

Overall, the 2024 Copa América will feature several South American powerhouses competing against one another. The introduction of North American teams will also provide additional drama and excitement during the competition. Argentina and Brazil will be favoured to progress from the group stages, and many will bet on these two national teams to win the competition, but time will tell who the eventual victor will be of the competition.