Brazil take on Paraguay on Friday in the first of the 2019 Copa America quarter-finals.
Pre-tournament favorites Brazil finished at the top of Group A but have been less than convincing so far at the tournament.
Paraguay managed to sneak through as one of the best third place teams despite picking up just two points in the group stage.
Brazil were booed off the pitch by their own fans at half time in their opening match. They went in at the break with the score at 0-0 but eventually claimed a 3-0 victory over Bolivia thanks to a brace from Philippe Coutinho.
They then endured a goalless draw with Venezuela after having three goals ruled out and were again booed off the pitch by their merciless supporters.
In their third and final group match, they thrashed Peru 5-0 to put them on seven points and book their place in the quarter-finals.
Paraguay began their campaign with a 2-2 draw against guest nation Qatar. They were two goals to the good after an hour but couldn’t hold on for all three points.
They also drew their second match but would have been much happier to pick up a point against Argentina after putting in an impressive display against one of the continent’s strongest sides.
A 1-0 defeat to Colombia in their third match left qualification for the last eight out of their hands but results elsewhere went in their favor and Paraguay remarkably advanced with just two points.
We haven’t seen the best of Brazil or Paraguay at the tournament so far. Paraguay finished with a –1 goal difference in Group B whilst Brazil have taken some time to find their rhythm.
The Brazilian fans expect their team to win in every game they play and were clearly not happy with their team’s first two performances.
With that being said, their 5-0 win over Peru will have filled them with confidence heading into the knockout stage of the tournament.
Paraguay knocked out Brazil on penalties in the quarter-finals of the Copa America in 2015 however a similar result on Friday is unlikely.
No último encontro entre Brasil e Paraguai, Philippe Coutinho marcou esse belo gol em uma vitória por 3 a 0. Esse é pra trazer boas energias para o confronto de quinta-feira, 21h30!🇧🇷 ❌ 🇵🇾 - 27/06 - 21h30#JogaBola #SeleçãoBrasileira #CopaAmérica pic.twitter.com/LBA8WxTJlk— CBF Futebol (@CBF_Futebol) June 25, 2019
No último encontro entre Brasil e Paraguai, Philippe Coutinho marcou esse belo gol em uma vitória por 3 a 0. Esse é pra trazer boas energias para o confronto de quinta-feira, 21h30!🇧🇷 ❌ 🇵🇾 - 27/06 - 21h30#JogaBola #SeleçãoBrasileira #CopaAmérica pic.twitter.com/LBA8WxTJlk
Brazil have beaten Paraguay 48 times over the years with Paraguay managing just 13 victories in reply.
Forebet predicts a win for Brazil; securing their place in the semi-finals of their home tournament.