Copa America 2021 preview – Venezuela
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Venezuela will kick off their Copa America 2021 campaign on June 13 with a very difficult matchday 1 fixture versus Brazil. The Venezuelans have had limited success in the Copa America tournament.
Their best finish came during the 2011 tournament when they finished fourth.
Coach Jose Peseiro takes the 30th ranked team in the world according to FIFA into the CONMEBOL summer showpiece.
Result over the last five games have not been very good for the team. Peseiro will hope Venezuela can be one of the four best teams in Group B to qualify for the knockout stage.
Venezuela will be joined by Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador in Group B. It won’t be an easy group to finish in the top four in.
2019 Copa America
Venezuela had a solid 2019 Copa America campaign. They finished second in Group A with five points from 12 possible. Along with Brazil and Peru, they qualified for the knockout stages.
La Vinotinto were knocked out of the 2019 edition of the tournament in the last 16 thanks to a 2-0 loss to Argentina. Venezuela have not had a great 2020 or 2021. As of this writing, they have lost four of their last five games in all competitions.
Key Players
Seventeen members of Peseiro’s provisional squad for the Copa America play football in the Americas. Striker Josef Martinez is the team’s key man and chief goalscorer.
Martinez plays club football for Atlanta United and has 12 international goals in 55 appearances for Venezuela.
La Vinotinto are anchored in midfield by Torino defensive midfielder Tomas Rincon. His experience will be key for the team in the group stage.
Outside of Martinez and Rincon, Peseiro is short on high-quality talent. They may surprise a few teams at the Copa America if the team gels, but right now, they are not in form.
Chances
Leading sportsbooks have Venezuela at odds of 60/1 to win the Copa America. They are at long odds going into the tournament. One fourth place finish in 2011 is the best Venezuela has ever done.
They don’t have a lot of quality, but will fight for progression to the knockout stages. Venezuela will not fight for a top-two spot in Group B. Those places should go to Brazil or Colombia.
However, Venezuela should fight for third or fourth along with Peru and Ecuador. They could reach the knockout stage, but could be knocked out in the quarterfinals by either the first-place or second-place finisher in Group A.
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