Uruguay Camp Focus - La Celeste will rely on strengths in Clasico del Rio de la Plata
The Rioplatense rivals, Uruguay and Argentina, meet today in Santa Fe tied on a record 14 Copa America titles, with the historic adversaries looking to improve on their performances to date, both having qualified in second place from their groups with five points.
This will be their 30th meeting in Copa America, and again they are tied, with 13 wins each and three draws. The last time the tournament was held in Argentina in 1987, Uruguay knocked out the hosts. La Celeste are determined to take their chances and again end Argentina’s dream of winning their own tournament.
“We are used to coming through difficult games like last year [at the World Cup],” Uruguay coach Oscar Tabárez told reporters this week. “And this is a very difficult game, but we are very motivated for it.”, promising the match "will be do-or-die and now the tournament is really beginning in earnest."
In the press conference, held in Buenos Aires, Tabárez was asked about the threat from Lionel Messi.”He is going to cause trouble for us. That, as much as we want it to, will never disappear. If you have a problem and you don't have the solution, why worry? Messi can give us a lot of problems which won't go away whatever we do to try to avoid them. But there are a lot of things we can do that neither Messi nor anyone else can prevent, those things that are part of the identity of this squad, of being stubborn, of believing we can (do it).” he told reporters.
Argentina are looking to end an 18 year wait for an international trophy, on home soil, and as Tabárez acknowledged the pressure will be on The Albiceste’s strikers which suits the Uruguayans, "We feel good in such games. This team is very experienced. We will be defensive when required, that's part of reality and balance, but be offensive also. The opposing team has strengths but weaknesses as well." said the coach.
With Argentina’s perceived weakness to be their defence, La Celeste will be looking to their strikers to recapture their goal scoring form. Luis Suarez has scored once so far and Diego Forlan, whom has yet to find the net, will start. However, Edinson Cavani is still recovering from a knee strain. Uruguay are likely to continue with the more defensive 4-4-2 formation that brought them a 1-0 victory over Mexico rather than their usual 4-3-3.
Despite Uruguay’s lack of goals, Messi acknowledges their danger "Forlan is a great player and we all know we can't give him any room [because] he kicks well with both feet [and] links well with Suarez. Playing against South American national teams is very difficult, they play with two lines of four ... We have to find a way round that."
Uruguayan striker Sebastian “El Loco” Abreu stated that the match was a huge fixture for both countries and that they owed it to the fans to make it a classic. Let us hope they do.
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