After 25 games over nearly three weeks, we have come down to the last game of the 42^nd Copa America- the final. And it will be played by the two best teams in the competition- a final dreamt of by the pundits- Brazil vs Argentina. It will be played at the Estadio Jose Pachencho Romero in  Maracaibo, the second largest city in Venezuela.

For once, Brazil will not be the favourites while going into an international match. And the tag of underdogs might suit coach Dunga and his boys quite well. Without star players like Barcelona’s Ronaldinho and Milan’s Kaka, the Selecao have performed quite well in this tournament. The team is young, and will take time to get used to each other. They have been inconsistent and at times, even sluggish, but they have managed to produce results when needed. Striker Robinho is almost certain to finish atop the goal charts. With six goals out of Brazil’s tournament total of twelve, he is two short of Pele’s all time Copa record of eight. Brazilian skipper Gilberto Silva will miss this game thanks to suspension. He is expected to be replaced by Elano. Mineiro, Josue and Julio Baptista will support him in midfield. The centre of the park is the place the main battle will be fought- with the presence of Juan Roman Riquelme in the Argentine team. The rest of the team is likely to remain unchanged- Doni in goal, Juan, Alex, Gilberto and Maicon at the back and Robinho and Wagner Love prowling upfront. If they win, it would be a great boost to Dunga’s credentials as manager.

Argentina brought their strongest team to Venezuela, and despite losing Hernan Crespo against the USA, have easily looked the best team in the tournament so far. With an all win record and a total of 16 goals scored, they can easily claim to be the best attacking team of the tournament. Coach Basile has chosen to play the same team on most of the occasions- barring the game against Paraguay where he played his reserves. The main question will be the person he plays upfront- Diego Milito or Carlos Tevez  or Crespo, who reports claim to be fit to play. If Crespo is indeed fit, then it will most likely be him. If he had played the remaining games, there would have been a good chance that the Inter Milan forward would have been at the top of the goal charts, instead of Robinho. The two other men Brazil will watch out for will be Juan Roman Riquelme, Argentina’s top scorer in the tournament with five and Lionel Messi, the new age Maradona. Maradona was never able to win a Copa, and Messi will be keen to add this trophy to his cabinet. Argentina’s defenders have kept a clean sheet in both the knockout games- although that might be a little more difficult to maintain against Brazil’s pace and trickery. If Argentina win, it will be an unprecedented fifteenth title for the Albicelestes.

This is a repeat of the 2004 final, which Brazil won on penalties. Argentina here are the superior team on paper as well as on form. They are the favourites, and they should win 2-1. Crespo, Riquelme/ Mascherano and Robinho/Josue on the scoresheet. Argentina are hungry for success- their last title was in 1993, but Brazil have nothing to lose either. It is also a battle between the two coaches- both of whom have a point to prove. It should be an interesting clash, irregardless of the outcome.

Invitees Mexico take on 14 time champions Uruguay in the capital city of Caracas in order to decide the bronze medalist of the 42^nd Copa America. 

Mexico have reached the finals of the Copa twice, and have managed the same number of third places. They started off their campaign with a shock 2-0 win over Brazil in which Castillo and Morales scored. That was followed by a 2-1 victory over Ecuador, and a goalless draw against Chile. That saw El Tri, runners up in the Gold Cup top Group B ahead of initial favourites Brazil. In the quarterfinals, they demolished Paraguay 6-0. They fell to Argentina rather tamely in the semifinals, and will now play Uruguay in a third place playoff. Coach Hugo Sanchez will be pretty happy with the way his team has played so far, and Uruguay will pose an interesting challenge. Mexico’s most impressive player is this tournament has been Olympiakos forward Nery Castillo,  a person who could very easily have been on the opposite end of the pitch donning Uruguay colours. Instead Castillo chose Mexico, and his four goals are largely the reason why Mexico have progressed so far in this tournament. No Mexico player is banned for this game, and most of the well known players, including Torrardo, Marquez, Guardado and Cacho should start. Oswaldo Sanchez, who has been in goal for both the quarterfinals and semis, should keep his spot unless Sanchez wants to give Ochoa another chance.

Uruguay have been anything but consistent in the tournament. They started off inauspiciously, losing 3-0 to Peru. They managed a draw and a win in their next two games, and thus managed to reach the quarterfinals by scoring just one goal. Fans were treated to the real Uruguay in the quarterfinals and the semis. They beat Venezuela 4-1 in the quarters, and dominated Brazil for large part of their semifinal before going out on penalties. On another day, they might easily have been in the final instead of playing in the third place playoff. Tabarez is likely to stick with the Recoba Forlan pairing upfront. Forlan has been Uruguay’s top goal scorer in this year’s Copa,  with three out of the seven goals that the Albicelestes have scored credited to him. This is Uruguay’s third consecutive third place playoff. In 2001, they lost on penalties to Honduras, and three years ago, they beat Colombia. Curiously enough, they lost on penalties in the semifinals to Brazil three years before, and Colombia lost to Argentina 3-0, just as Mexico did this time  The Uruguyuan midfield, consisting of Cristian Rodriguez, Pablo Garcia and Diego Perez will face stiff opposition from the Mexican medios. Nery Castillo will be the man to contain for defenders Scotti and Lugano.

Uruguay will walk into this game favourites, especially after the way they played against Brazil. However they can be inconsistent, and that can to work to the advantage of Hugo Sanchez’s boys. Uruguay to win 2-1- Forlan, Recoba and Castillo/ Cacho on the scoresheet.

Copa America favourites  Argentina face their last hurdle before a possible final clash against bitter rivals Brazil- invitees Mexico. The two teams last faced off in the 2006 World Cup, when Argentina managed to beat Mexico thanks to a Maxi Rodriguez stunner. The game will be played at the Polideportivo Cachamay in the city of Puerto Ordaz.

Argentina brought their strongest team to the tournament, wanting to the win the title for a record 15^th time. On paper, they are easily the best side in the tournament, and Basile’s boys have proved it by being the only team with a 100% win record at this stage. They topped Group C, beating Paraguay, USA and Colombia. They scored nine goals in the group stage, more than any other team in the tournament. Despite the loss of striker Hernan Crespo, Argentina have yet to show any signs of the fact that they are missing the prolific forward. Goals are coming from everywhere, and they blanked Peru 4-0 in the quarterfinals. Juan Roman Riquelme, after a slow start, is slowly coming into his own. He has four goals to his credit. Basile has generally stuck to a particular set of players, and it is likely to be the same for this game. Heinze, Ayala, Gabriel Milito and Zanetti at the back, Riquelme, Veron, Cambiasso, Messi and Mascherano in midfield, with Diego Milito upfront. Ayala is on a yellow card, having picked it up against Peru..

Mexico came to this tournament after a loss in the Gold Cup final to the USA, and without several key players. Mexico’s primary objective- that of reaching the semifinals has been achieved, and it is now upto the players to progress further. Olympiakos forward Nery Castillo is a doubt for this game, and if he does not play, that will be a big blow for the Mexicans. Castillo has undoubtedly been Mexico’s player of the tournament, scoring 4 goals so far. Mexico’s opening game against Brazil was in Puerto Ordaz, while Argentina haven’t played here as yet. The 6-0 silencing of Paraguay was a good result for the fans and players overall, who were pretty disjointed when they arrived in Venezuela. Nine of Argentina’s 13 goals have come in the second half, a fact which would not have gone unnoticed by Mexico’s coach Hugo Sanchez. Jonny Magallon is on a yellow card. The game is likely to be rough, like the World Cup game last year. Oswaldo Sanchez is likely to have his hands full in goal.

Tough game to predict. In the last edition of the tournament, Argentina met Brazil in the final. They beat Colombia in the semis that time around, and like Mexico this time, Colombia won their group with seven points. Argentina to win this say 2-0. Riquelme and Milito likely scorers.

The Copa America has reached its penultimate stage- the semifinals, and the four best teams in the tournament- Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay will battle it out in the last four. The first semifinal will be between Brazil and Uruguay- two teams who have together won nearly half of the Copa America tournaments held so far. The game will be played at the Estadio Jose Pachencho Romero in Maracaibo, a stadium where neither of the two have visited so far in Venezuela.

Brazil started off the Copa America on a bad note- losing to Mexico 2-0. Since then Dunga’s boys have got better, and the 6-1 thrashing they handed out to Chile in the quarterfinals was an example of the threat that the Brazilian team can be when on song. The time that the youngsters have played together is helping them act as a team, and they have not peaked at the wrong time.Uruguay will be their first major challenge after the opening game, but Brazil know that they can do it. Robinho has been Brazil’s best player in the tournament. The Real Madrid forward, with six goals to his name, is two short of Pele’s Brazilian Copa record of eight. Many others came to the party against Chile, impressive Sao Paulo forward Josue, midfielder Julio Baptista, defender Juan and striker Wagner Love. Dunga will most probably start with the same team as the quarterfinal. Brazil played Uruguay last in the semifinals in Peru 2004, and they went on to reach the final where they beat Argentina.

Uruguay, like their semifinal opponents, started their tournament on the wrong foot. A 0-3 loss to Peru , followed by a one goal win over Ecuador and a goalless draw against Venezuela. However their 4-1 thrashing of hosts Venezuela in the quarters was a great improvement, and the fans of the Albicelestes will be keen to see how they fare against Brazil. Uruguay have a good defence- Rodriguez,  Andreas Scotti and Diego Lugano. Stopping Robinho will take some taking, but Uruguay have strength in the centre of the park. If they strangle Brazil in the middle, then the likes of Josue and Gilberto won’t be able to feed the strikers. Diego Forlan, who scored twice in the game against Venezuela, will be the keyman for them upfront. The Brazilian defenders did an excellent job against Chile thwarting Suazo and company, and even Doni had a good day in between the posts. The team has class on paper, and they need to string it together as a team. Having your backs against the wall can bring out many things in a team, and Uruguay will need to combine as a team if they are to beat Brazil.

As mentioned before, Brazil beat Uruguay in the 2004 edition. Uruguay last won the Copa in 1995, and they beat Brazil that time around. Brazil gained revenge four years later against the Albicelestes in Paraguay. The history between the two teams is a tale of legends- remember the 1950 football world cup ? The game will possibly end in a draw, with extra time and/or penalties needed to decide the winner. Both the teams will give it their all. Robinho, Forlan, Perez and Josue likely scorers.

Group B winners and Copa invitees Mexico will face Paraguay in the third quarterfinal of the Copa America in the city of Maturin. Coach Hugo Sanchez appears to have done a good job with his side, and a win against Paraguay will see them move into the last four.

Mexico came into this tournament after a loss in the Gold Cup final. A few players opted of the Copa due to exhaustion, and yet El Tri topped a group which included Brazil. They shocked Brazil 2-0 in their first game, and then beat Ecuador 2-1. They ended their group fixtures with a goalless draw against Chile. Sanchez chose not to play some of his key players against Chile. Nery Castillo has been Mexico’s star in this tournament. The Olympiakos forward has been a constant threat to the opposition, having scored two goals already. His surging runs down the flanks can make defenders break into a sweat. Guillermo Ochoa has done an excellent job in goal over the three games. Rafael Marquez has marshaled the defence well, and the Mexicans conceded only goal in the full tournament- a late goal to PSV and Ecuador midfielder Edilson Mendez.

Paraguay have done remarkably well in this tournament. They beat Colombia 5-0, delt the same to the USA 3-1 and lost to Argentina 0-1. Gerardo Martino’s team has scored 8 goals in this tournament, only second to Argentina. Roque Santa Cruz and Salvador Cabanas  have scored 3 goals apiece in this tournament. They have taken advantage of the defensive frailties in other teams- the three goals that they scored in the last ten minutes against Colombia was an example. Mexico will prove to be tough competition, but having played Argentina, La Albirroja will have an idea of how to combat Mexico. Paraguay have never played in Maturin, but Mexico have, against Ecuador. Combating Nery Castillo and company will be a major headache for captain Julio Caceres.

This is an interesting game to predict. Paraguay went out at this stage in the last edition of the tournament to Uruguay. A win here will in all probability set a repeat clash against Argentina in the semifinal. Tough one to predict, but Mexico should sneak through. Nery Castillo to score.

Group C winners and Copa favourites Argentina face Peru in their first knockout game in the tournament. The game is a quarterfinal and the winner of this game will play the winner of the Mexico- Paraguay game in the semifinals. The game will be played in the city of Barquismeto, the place where the Albicelestes faced off against Paraguay in their last group engagement.

Argentina were the only team to emerge from the group phase with a 100% win record. Coach Basile gave his reserves, although it plagues me to call people of such quality by the name reserves, a chance in the last game against Paraguay and they did not let him down. He is expected to retain the team that played the games against USA and Colombia for this clash.  Unfortunately for Argentina, Hernan Crespo, who has scored 3 goals in this tournament, will be unable to take any further part in it. That leaves the main striker’s role vacant, and it could be occupied by Diego Milito, who replaced Crespo after he limped off against Colombia. It could also go to either Carlos Tevez or Rodrigo Pallacio. Argentina’s strength is their attack- they scored nine goals in their first three games, more than any other team. Their defence is pretty organized too- Heinze, Gabriel Milito, Ayala and Zanetti. Veron, Mascherano and Riquelme will provide the creative influence in the centre of the park. Riquelme’s two goals downed Colombia, and the technically gifted Villareal medio will be an immense threat for the Peruvians.

Peru finished second in Group A, behind Venezuela. They stunned everybody when they defeated Uruguay 3-0 on the opening day. Yes, Uruguay weren’t able to play as a team, but that does not take away any credit from Peru. From then on, it went a bit downhill. They lost to Venezuela 0-2, and escaped with a point against Bolivia thanks to Claudio Pizarro’s late equalizer. Pizarro will be the focal point of the Peruvian attack, and will be supported by Jose Paulo Guerrero, who scored the last goal in the win against Uruguay. Peru can use setplays quite well- Villalta’s goal, the first goal of the tournament, was ample proof of that. The Peruvian defence will face its strongest test in the form of Argentina, who have players who possess both pace and technical brilliance. Lionel Messi is one such player, and the wingbacks will have a hard time containing him. Peru have never played in Barquismeto before, and that is one fact against them.

In the last edition of the Copa, Argentina met Peru in the quarterfinals and beat them 1-0. The Albicelestes are favourites to win this time too- say 3-1. Riquelme, Tevez and Heinze for Argentina. Pizarro or Guerrero for Peru.