The 2021 Copa America final will be held at the Estadio do Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, Sunday (11/7/2021). 14-time champions Argentina will duel with defending champions, hosts and nine-titles owner Brazil in the final match.
Will Lionel Messi win his first title with the Argentine senior national team? Will Argentina win their first Copa America title since 1993? Will Argentina match Uruguay's record of 15 Copa America wins? Or, will Neymar and his team-mates lead Brazil to their title defense?
There is no need to question the motivations of the two teams. Argentina and Brazil will go down in this final match with the same high spirit. Their duel is believed to be fierce.
In the quarter-finals, Argentina defeated Ecuador 3-0 through goals from Rodrigo De Paul, Lautaro Martinez and Messi. After that, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez became the hero as Argentina won on penalties over Colombia in the semifinals. Messi leads the list of the provisional top scorers of the 2021 Copa America with four goals, while Lautaro Martinez is below him with three goals.
Meanwhile, Brazil won twice in a row with a narrow score of 1-0 to get rid of Chile and Peru. Lucas Paqueta's lone goal gave Brazil victory in the quarter-finals. After that, Paqueta again scored the decisive goal that got Brazil to the final. Neymar, who has already scored twice in the tournament, played brilliantly in the semi-final against Peru and contributed one assist.
Argentina vs Brazil final is considered as the ideal final. Apart from being motivated by rivalry, these two countries also have quality players. The most awaited is of course the great competition of two former club teammates from Barcelona, Messi and Neymar.
However, on the field, they will drop each other. Who will laugh and cry at the Maracana?
Estimated Line-up
Argentina (4-3-3): E Martinez; Molina, Pezzella, Otamendi, Tagliafico; De Paul, Paredes, Lo Celso; Messi, L Martinez, Gomez.
Coach: Lionel Scaloni.
Brazil (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Danilo, Marquinhos, Silva, Sandro; Fred, Casemiro; Richarlison, Paqueta, Everton; Neymar.