In the early hours of Wednesday morning, two of South America’s most illustrious teams will do battle at Levi’s Stadium in California.
As the final round of group games at the 2024 Copa America draws to a close, Brazil trail Colombia by two points in Group D.
If you’re looking for expert analysis and predictions for this showdown, we’ve got you covered. Read on to discover what our predictive analytics model forecasts.
Brazil were held to a goalless draw by Costa Rica in their opening match, despite racking up 74% possession and 19 shots at SoFi Stadium.
However, the Brazilians responded with a resounding victory in their second game, thrashing Paraguay 4-1, with Vinicius Junior bagging a brace.
Although Brazil carry a six-game unbeaten streak into Wednesday’s clash, they have only managed to win three of their last 10 matches across all competitions.
It is also worth noting that Brazil have kept just two clean sheets in their previous 10 outings, highlighting their recent defensive struggles.
On the flip side, Colombia boast a 100% record in the tournament so far, having dispatched Paraguay and Costa Rica to all but secure a spot in the knockout phase.
Following a 2-1 victory over Paraguay, the Colombians crushed Costa Rica 3-0, racking up 64% possession and 17 shots in Arizona.
Including friendlies, Colombia have now won each of their last 10 games, scoring 24 goals (2.4 goals per game) while keeping five clean sheets.
When you look at the bigger picture, the Colombians have avoided defeat in each of their previous 25 matches, with their most recent loss coming back in February 2022.
Head-to-head: Colombia ended a seven-game winless run against Brazil by claiming a 2-1 victory in World Cup qualifying back in November.
That said, the Colombians have managed to win only four of their 36 previous meetings with the Brazilians, suffering 21 defeats since 1945.
Team news: Brazil manager Dorival Junior will likely stick with the same XI that started the previous game, meaning Rodrygo will join Vinicius in attack.
Colombia manager Nestor Lorenzo is also expected to make limited changes to his unbeaten team, although defender Jhon Lucumi is an injury doubt.
Regardless of Colombia’s impressive unbeaten streak, Brazil look set to flex their muscles and enhance their strong record in this fixture.
Forebet predicts that Brazil will register a low-scoring victory over Colombia, who could struggle to find the back of the net themselves.