Brazil are the bookmakers’ heavy favourites as they head into their 2021 Copa America quarter-final clash with Chile on Saturday.
The Chileans finished second from bottom in Group A, although they ended up five points clear of last-place Bolivia.
Over in Group B, Brazil finished three points clear at the top after picking up three wins and one draw during the group stage.
The host nation kicked off their campaign with three straight wins, seeing off Venezuela (3-0), Peru (4-0) and Colombia (2-1) in the process.
Brazil were held to a 1-1 draw by Ecuador in their previous game, but they still managed to reach the knockouts unbeaten.
Tite’s men had racked up ten consecutive wins before meeting Ecuador but failed to claim all three points for the first time since November 2019 last time out.
That said, Brazil are on an excellent run at the moment, having lost just one of their previous 33 competitive games.
If they can pick up where they left off in the group stage, they should be able to overcome Chile without any real issues.
On the flip side, Chile registered one win, two draws and one loss during the group stage – scoring three goals while conceding four.
Not only did they end up as the second-lowest scorers in Group A, but they also finished with the second-worst defensive record.
Following an impressive 1-1 draw with Argentina on Matchday 1, Chile beat Bolivia 1-0 before drawing 1-1 with Uruguay on Matchday 3.
Last time out, the Chileans suffered a 2-0 loss at the hands of Paraguay, despite enjoying 69% possession.
Having won just two of their last 14 competitive matches, it’s safe to say that Chile are enduring a difficult time at the moment.
Head-to-head: Chile have only managed to win one of their previous 16 meetings with Brazil in all competitions.
The last time the two nations met back in 2017, Brazil claimed a comfortable 3-0 victory in World Cup qualifying.
Team news: Neymar is due to return to Brazil’s starting XI after being rested – along with a host of other stars – last time out.
As for Chile, they look set to be without forward Alexis Sanchez and centre-back Guillermo Maripan for Saturday’s clash.
With Sanchez, Chile are likely to find it difficult overcome Brazil and end the hosts’ lengthy unbeaten streak.
Forebet predicts that Brazil will keep a clean sheet on their way to seeing off Chile – booking their spot in the semi-finals in the process.