Tag: soccer

2024 CONMEBOL Copa America Group Stage Predictions

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The second of two international football tournaments starts tomorrow. CONMEBOL’s 2024 Copa America takes place in North America from June 20th to July 15th. Due to the smaller number of countries in the western hemisphere, there are four groups of four teams each. They will compete for as many points as possible to advance to the second round. A win results in three points, ties earn one, and zero for losses. Only two teams in each group move on to the round of 8. Here are the predictions for which teams in groups A through D have the best chances to make round two.

Group A: Argentina, Chile

Almost everyone agrees the reigning World Cup champions will advance. Renowned scoring forward Lionel Messi is a menace to his regional opponents and many saw how La Albiceleste’s roster improved almost two years ago. Midfield depth will be hard to contain for the other three teams.

The world’s greatest player Lionel Messi should make easy work of the group stage.

It’s hard to choose the second best team. Canada has a good offense, but the defense remains a liability. Argentina and Chile’s veterans will often test these weaknesses. While Peru has a solid defense, the offense hasn’t faced a championship caliber defense. This leaves La Roja as the best choice. Chile has a good mix of veterans and young talent on every side of the ball. They gave France fits, barely losing 3-2 earlier in the year. This shows they can still hold up against the world’s best teams. It would be wise for La Roja to create better team chemistry with the younger depth players, give the aging veterans one last chance for a deep tournament run, and try different methods of putting pressure on opposing defenses before the 2026 World Cup.

Group B: Ecuador, Mexico

The easiest group to predict. Many witnessed Ecuador’s continued improvement in the 2022 World Cup as La Tricolor had a long shutout streak leading up to and in Qatar. Ecuador may have three forwards on the roster, but the defense is one of the world’s best. Surprisingly their biggest tests were against current UEFA champion Italy and World Cup champion Argentina. La Tricolor gave up a total of three goals versus both.

22 year old Moises Caicedo has been one of Ecuador’s better players, providing a spark on offense they didn’t have in the last Copa America tournament.

Mexico stands out as the other favorite for round two. Despite critical analysis on El Tri’s roster construction, they soundly shutout Jamaica 3-0 heading into the tournament and Venezuela’s easily the worst team of the group. Mexico could struggle after the first round due to its player development pipeline being at its lowest point in decades, but coach Jaime “Jimmy” Lozano should get enough solid performances out of this team.

Group C: Uruguay, Panama

A fun three team race in group C makes this one second best. Bolivia might be worse than Venezuela, so Panama, Uruguay and the U.S. will be the highlighted teams.

Uruguay’s top-scoring forward Luis Suarez could be in his last Copa America tournament. While striker Edinson Cavani and midfielder Matias Vecino retired not even a month ago, 22 year old forward Facundo Pallistri is providing La Celeste with a refreshing offensive presence. Uruguay’s also revamped the roster since their 2022 World Cup exit.

If Panama wants to advance to the second round, players such as midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla (8) have to be more involved and create better scoring opportunities.

The second choice will be close. Panama and the U.S. went to a shootout last July with the former getting a much-needed win. It’s been a year since Los Canaleros’ victory, but the Americans shouldn’t worry much about performance since they’re both hosting the World Cup and they’re one of six add-on teams in Copa America. The U.S. should use this tournament as a litmus test to analyze team chemistry and what to improve on before 2026.

Group D: Brazil, Colombia

The best and most entertaining group. Between potent offenses and veteran rosters, it’s almost unfair two teams will be eliminated.

Despite legendary midfielder Ronaldinho going off on the Brazilian team for, “a lack of love for the shirt and grit”, Brazil’s one of the favorites to make the finals. The Selecao Canarinha will be tested early by Costa Rica, which wants redemption for their nosedive in Qatar. Every match will be hard no matter the opponent. Defenders Danilo and Wendell, and forwards Raphinha and Pepe Aquino need to step up in round one.

With Ronaldinho’s criticism a week before the tournament starts, forward Evanilson (21) and midfielder Lucas Paqueta (8) must improve on every side of the ball during group play.

Costa Rica doesn’t have enough offense to keep any of their matches close. Paraguay is the opposite where offense is a strength, but the defense gives up a lot of rush chances leading to easy goals. This leaves Colombia, a dangerously well-rounded team. Los Cafeteros shut out Spain in March and throttled the U.S. almost two weeks ago. Colombia’s scoring depth and shutdown defense make them an attractive choice in the final four.

2024 UEFA Group Stage Predictions

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One of the worlds best sports tournaments starts Friday. UEFA Euro 2024 takes place in Germany from June 14th to July 14th. Six groups of four teams each will compete for as many points as possible to advance to the second round. A win results in three points, ties earn one, and zero for losses. Only two teams in each group move on to the round of 12. Here are the predictions for which teams in groups A through F have the best chances to make round two.

Group A: Germany, Switzerland

Host nation Germany hasn’t looked this strong in qualifying matches for over a decade. The DFB won three of their last four matches before Friday under new manager Julian Nagelsmann. Nagelsmann consistently gets the best out of the club since taking over autumn 2023. The roster retooling is another reason the Germans are considered favorites to at least make the semi-finals. Scotland stands little chance in the opening match while Hungary should worry about retribution from the last UEFA performance.

Switzerland’s first match against Hungary is a litmus test for how well they handle group A.

Hungary would be an attractive option if there wasn’t another veteran team in the first group. Switzerland’s experience presents multiple problems for the Hungarians. They also play each other first on Saturday. The Swiss understand this stage is played for points more than wins, so don’t be surprised if they’re more conservative depending on their opponent.

Group B: Italy, Spain

The reigning UEFA champions return with new manager Luciano Spalletti on the sidelines. Roberto Mancini’s resignation and hiring to Saudi Arabia presents some challenges for the team. While Spain’s offensive playing style will be the biggest test for the Italian team in round one, Albania will struggle and Croatia might crumble due to defensive holes and the number of older players on the roster. Italy not advancing to the second round would both shock and upend the round of 12 picture.

From left to right: Jorginho, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Gianluca Mancini and Giacomo Raspadori are a versatile quartet wanting to win back-to-back titles.

Spain’s the best choice after Italy, if not the presumed favorite of group B. As mentioned above, Croatia’s aging stars and questions on defense will be exposed against a Spanish team that dominates offensive time of possession (around 80%) each match. Last but not least, the former Yugoslav nation struggles in UEFA tournaments. It’s possible we know which two teams advance to the second round before anyone plays their third game.

Group C: England, Denmark

England’s brutal championship match loss in 2021 creates more pressure to pick up where they left off and try to surpass expectations. The Serbian and Slovenian teams are easy for casual fans to look past, but the British cannot with how hard both teams play. Coach Gareth Southgate has to keep the Lions sharp while forward Bukayo Saka and defenders Luke Shaw and John Stones ease back onto the roster. At least the players will be off social media (for as long as they’re not eliminated).

Manager Gareth Southgate has a lot of pressure to get better offense out of England while using enough creativity to get out of the group stage.

While the two former Yugoslav republics compete hard, Denmark has the best chance of advancing to round two. The Danes don’t play the physical Serbs until last and have England second. Depending how well England does against Serbia, Denmark could have the upper hand most of group play. Since most of team’s defenders and forwards hitting their prime, it would be a disappointment if Denmark doesn’t perform well. This might also be midfielder Christian Eriksen’s last UEFA tournament.

Group D: France, Netherlands

The most loaded group of the six. All four teams have a good chance of not just getting out of round one, but also getting out of round two with their high scoring offenses. Two teams stand out and get the nod here. French coach Didier Deschamps returns to the sideline, and that’s bad news for the other three. Even if France doesn’t win the group, the Austrians, Dutch and Polish will play their best against them in round one.

France had a target on their back in the 2021 UEFA tournament due to their World Cup success. While they didn’t win the World Cup championship in Qatar, the target remains.

Poland’s on the short end as forward and team leading scorer Robert Lewandowski will miss the first match against the Dutch. The Netherlands could start slow, but this is their best opportunity to leap up the standings. Austria’s on a roll with four wins and a draw in their last five matches. However the draw came against an improved Swiss team many expect to see in the second round. Playing France first and the Orange last is brutal timing unless both west European powers stumble through group play. That would be harder to say about the Netherlands since Ronald Koeman is the new coach and the offense has undergone drastic changes (even though midfielder Teun Koopmeiners is out for the tournament with a groin injury).

Group E: Belgium, Ukraine

Easily the weakest group, the Belgians should coast to the second round. A healthy Romelu Lukaku ensures Belgium takes first place.

Romelu Lukaku (10) scored four goals in a shutout of Azerbaijan last November in the UEFA qualifying round. Lukaku can score at will while Belgium has given up one goal in their last five matches.

It’s hard to pick which of the remaining trio advances. Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine have holes everywhere on offense and defense. Ukraine surprisingly stands out as the most competent of the three. They’ve performed well against better teams like Germany and Poland. Ukraine also gets Belgium last in group play while Slovakia plays them first. The Blue and Yellow could have the advantage of playing a Belgian team that has first place locked up by match three. This puts more pressure on Slovakia and Romania to be perfect every game.

Group F: Portugal, Czechia

The last and one of the funnest groups. Portugal’s led by ageless forward Cristiano Ronaldo and midfielder Bruno Fernandes. They are coincidently the best players in group F. The Portuguese defense is stout and shouldn’t allow many goals this round.

Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes helped his home team clinch a spot in the UEFA tournament last year. He should continue a high scoring pace this tournament.

If they let in any goals, it might be against Czechia. The Czechs are undefeated this year in the friendlies and even scored seven in one match. While their first, true test of 2024 is against Portugal, group play eases up with an unknown Georgia and lackluster Turkiye the last two matches. Don’t be surprised if Czechia goes on a run similar to Switzerland’s in 2021.