Copa America: La Vinotinto and El Tri Clash for Quarter-final Berth

Venezuela vs Mexico

The 2024 Copa America is in full swing, and the world has seen all 16 nations strut their unique brand of football. Coming into Matchday 2, Group B leaders Mexico and Venezuela will lock horns at the state-of-the-art SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, hoping to claim Group B supremacy and clinch their spot in the quarter-finals.

Both football-crazed sides have seen early success in Matchday 1, but the competition will only get more challenging as the tournament progresses and the stakes increase.

So, read more below as SBOTOP provides an in-depth preview of what will be a pivotal, tournament-defying match against rivals Venezuela and Mexico.

 

Talking Points

Mexico lose captain Edson Álvarez to an injury

25-year-old defender Gerardo Arteaga struck a roller from the edge of the box in minute 69 to beat Jamaica 1-0 in their Copa America opener. Drama ensued when Michail Antonio appeared to head in a goal for the Jamaicans in the 50th minute but was immediately disallowed for offside following a VAR.

El Tri held on to their lead and finished Matchday 1 tied with Venezuela with three points in Group B. This puts Mexico in an advantageous position, as they could clinch a quarter-final spot with a win in their next match. However, the cost of their opening win might’ve been too high as they lost their captain, Edson Álvarez, to an injury 30 minutes into their opener against the Reggae Boyz.

The Mexico captain needed to be helped off the pitch. He was in visible pain, clinching on his hamstring after sprinting back during a Jamaican counterattack.

Now, Mexico fans can only hold their breaths as they wait for the latest Copa America 2024 updates on their beloved captain. “With Edson, we’re going to wait a couple of days to give him an examination and know well what he has,” Mexico boss Jimmy Lozano stated in a post-match interview. “Obviously, as it is with any other player, the intention is not to risk anything. He felt something in his leg,” he added.

If Álvarez isn’t able to suit up for their next match against Venezuela, expect Lozano to once again deploy veteran midfielder Luis Romo to fill in the void.

 

Venezuela subs carve out 10-man Ecuador

Things couldn’t be more dramatic when Venezuela and Ecuador locked horns at Levi’s Stadium for their tournament opener.

Despite playing with just 10 men on the field after striker Enner Valencia was sent off for dangerous play in minute 22, the Ecuadorians still managed to get the lead thanks to the inhuman reaction time of Brighton midfielder Jeremy Sarmiento.

It looked like Ecuador were about to pull off the first upset in the 2024 Copa America. Still, the Venezuelans eventually figured things out and used their man advantage to carve out the short-handed Ecuadorians.

“We had to change the plan and wait a bit behind the opposition. It’s clear that when you play with 10 men, you are at the mercy of the opposition for many minutes, even if you don’t want to play that way,“ Ecuador manager Felix Sanchez exclaimed. “Obviously, it’s not the dream start, but there are two more games left, and we have the team to compete. The most important thing is that the team recovers its spirit for what is to come.”

On the whole, second-half goals from substitutes Jhonder Cadiz and Eduard Bello gave Venezuela a 2-1 win over the handicapped Ecuadorian side, putting Venezuela atop the Group B standings and a win away from clinching a spot in the quarter-finals en route to what may be their first Coppa America title.

 

History

It’s safe to say that the Mexicans have bossed their head-to-head matchups against Venezuela. El Tri has been unbeaten when facing the Venezuelans in their last eight games since 2006.

In those games, Mexico won five, while Venezuela could only tally a draw three times to keep their heads afloat. During their most recent game, Mexico dominated with a 3-1 scoreline, which also served as the biggest aggregate in their past head-to-heads. However, in recent form, both outfits have garnered early success in the 2024 Copa America, emerging victorious in their respective opening matches. Mexico asserted their dominance over Jamaica with a 1-0 win, while Venezuela thumped Ecuador and finished with a 2-1 win.

 

Betting Tip

The Copa America 2024 odds suggest that El Tri will be the side to secure a quarter-final berth at SoFi Stadium later this week. Mexico are the slight favourites at 2.19, while the Venezuelan side are the 3.33 underdogs with a 3.89 draw price. Historically, Mexico have had no troubles when facing Venezuela. I don’t see that changing anytime soon, even if Edson Álvarez won’t be able to suit up for El Tri. It’s not a tall ask for Mexico to extend their unbeaten

   

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