Uruguay will face Colombia in the Copa America 2024 semi-final at the Bank of America Stadium, with a spot in the final on the line.
The stage is set for the best four teams of this edition of the Copa America 2024 to take part in the semi-finals, with Uruguay taking on Colombia. Both teams are in terrific form ahead of this pivotal clash, with Marcelo Bielsa, in particular, looking to make a big mark on continental football.
He has certainly impressed with his performances as Uruguay’s head coach and will want a big statement win to reach the final. Uruguay had to rely on the luck of the penalty shootout to reach the semifinals, as Brazil were unfortunate enough not to take advantage of that game in the quarter-finals.
The clash with Brazil was rather fiery, with temperatures rising throughout the encounter. Nahitan Nandez’s straight card in the 74th minute did hand Brazil a massive advantage, one they failed to take, as Uruguay held their own until the game got to a penalty shootout. Eder Militao and Douglas Luiz missed their spot kicks, while Jose Maria Gimenez’s blushes were saved by his teammates as Bielsa’s men went through.
With Manuel Ugarte’s winning spot-kick, they set up a date with Nestor Lorenzo’s Colombia, who destroyed surprise package Panama with a 5-0 scoreline. That result was also their biggest margin of victory in a Copa America game, with Los Cafeteros showing massive signs of being one of the big favourites now.
That win also improved their unbeaten run to 27 games, and Lorenzo will want to set a new record for Colombia with a 28th game. Their group stage draw with Brazil also snapped their 10-game winning run, but the Colombian manager will not be bothered too much with that as he will aim to enter the Copa America final this time around.
Team News & Tactics
Uruguay
Marcelo Bielsa suffered a big blow in Uruguay’s game against Brazil with Ronald Araujo’s competition-ending injury. Jose Maria Gimenez will likely be drafted in his place as he also replaced the Barcelona star against Brazil during that game.
Nahitan Nandez will also miss out with the suspension, and he, too, is not available for the remainder of the tournament after his direct rec card for the harsh challenge in the Brazil clash. Flamengo’s Guillermo Varela should be the right choice to replace Nandez at right-back.
Nicolas de la Cruz should be in Uruguay’s No.10 role, with Darwin Nunez leading the line for Bielsa’s side. He will have the support of Maximiliano Araujo and Facundo Pellistri from the wings. Federico Valverde and Manuel Ugarte are the preferred choices in central midfield, as, despite Araujo’s absence, Uruguay still look strong with their setup.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Rochet; Varela, Gimenez, Olivera, Vina; Ugarte, Valverde; Pellistri, Cruz, Araujo; Nunez
Colombia
Nestor Lorenzo has no significant problems ahead of the semi-final clash with Uruguay, with Jhon Lucumi the only doubt. Either way, he was not expected to start anyway, as the Colombia head coach seems to have a settled lineup in mind.
The other boost is the return of Jefferson Lerma, who missed the Panama clash with a suspension. His replacement, Mateus Uribe, did have a fantastic game in midfield and was the subject of a yellow card in the clash.
Lerma is expected to replace Uribe at the base of the midfield, as Lorenzo could either think the Crystal Palace star is stronger or even replace the latter for the risk of missing the final. Hence, led by the resurgent James Rodriguez, Colombia will name a near-identical lineup with the exception of Lerma to take on Uruguay.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Vargas; Munoz, Sanchez, Cuesta, Mojica; Rios, Lerma, Arias; Rodriguez, Cordoba, Diaz
Key Stats
- Uruguay have yet to reach the Copa America Final since the 2011 editions.
- Uruguay are unbeaten in this edition of the competition
- Uruguay have conceded only one goal in this edition of the Copa America.
- Colombia are on a 27-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
- Colombia are unbeaten in this edition of the Copa America.
Player to Watch
James Rodriguez
Since 2011, James Rodriguez has become the first player to have five goals in one Copa America tournament. Data was introduced in these aspects that year, as the Colombian attacker had three goals in the first half of the Panama clash alone.
Either way, Rodriguez has constantly been a consistent performer for his national side, and Nestor Lorenzo will place all his cards on the attacker’s shoulders to get them through to the final. This clash against Uruguay will be seen as a game of games by the former Real Madrid star as he propels his national side towards a step away from continental glory.
Prediction
Uruguay 1-1 Colombia
Colombia and Uruguay have been one of the lethal attacking sides in this edition of the Copa America, and it will only do justice to see these sides battle it out at this stage of the competition. Going by their pros and cons, it is a tough game to predict, as this will likely end in an eventful draw.
Both sides have the attacking and defensive prowess to control the game on both fronts, although this game could likely go into extra time and, like many other crunch clashes, to penalties. Then again, it is difficult to predict shootouts, although Uruguay have shown they get over the line in this aspect and may bring their experience at this stage of the game.
