Paraguay will face Qatar at The Maracana on Sunday as both sides open their 2019 Copa America accounts.
This is only the second meeting between the countries in over 30 years. The last match in 2009 saw Qatar came out on top with a 2-0 victory.
Qatar will be making their debut appearance at the Copa America this year as one of the tournament’s guest nations. Following on from their recent Asian Cup success, they will certainly be looking to upset the odds.
Qatari football has been on the rise ever since the country was announced as hosts of the 2022 World Cup. Their inclusion as guests at this year’s Copa America is proof of just how far they’ve come.
Paraguay’s Copa America titles of 1953 and 1979 are distant memories nowadays. A surprise fourth-place finish in the 2015 Copa America was followed up by a dismal showing at the last tournament.
They finished bottom of their group in 2016, picking up just a single point from their three matches and will need to get off to a much better start this year against Qatar.
Since the end of the World Cup qualifiers in October 2017, Paraguay have played five friendly matches, drawing once and losing their other four games. This poor form doesn’t bode well for them coming into the tournament.
Paraguay aren’t exactly blessed with household names like many of their South American counterparts. Newcastle United’s Miguel Almiron and Roma forward Juan Iturbe are two of their more well-known players, plying their trade in two of Europe’s top leagues.
36-year-old veteran Oscar Cardozo scored over 100 goals in his time with Portuguese club Benfica and his knack for goals will aid his country’s chances in Brazil.
If Qatar are to ruffle any feathers, expect the 22 -year-old duo of Akram Afif and Almoez Ali to be at the center of the action. Both strikers have outstanding goals-to-games ratios for their country.
Without the individual talent of the bigger nations in the competition, both teams will need to work extremely hard and perform above the sum of their parts.
It’s likely that the Paraguay will benefit from being the South American team in this tie. While Qatar won’t go down without a fight, Paraguay are expected to win on Sunday.
Forebet predicts a close encounter, with Paraguay edging past Qatar to claim the victory.