Venezuela, much like the Peruvian side that played on Saturday, is not supposed to be here. They're lacking big-name players who play for big clubs in Europe and South America, and their recent record in both Copa America and World Cup qualification is poor. Still, Venezuela has not lost yet in this tournament. They pulled off a dramatic draw in their final group stage game against Paraguay on Wednesday, scoring two goals in the final five minutes to draw 3-3 and finish second in Group B. On Sunday, they will try to do what Peru did to Colombia, and that is advance with a massive upset when they play Chile.
Copa America 2011 Quarterfinals, Chile Vs. Venezuela: Preview
While this Chile side, coached by Claudio Borghi hasn’t looked quite as lethal as the one coached by Marcelo Bielsa, the Chileans have also not yet lost in this tournament. Their talent and form make them serious favorites against Venezuela, though that has proven to be basically meaningless so far in this tournament.
One major advantage that Chile will have is that they benched most of their major stars in their final group stage match against Peru. All of Alexis Sanchez, Arturo Vidal, Matias Fernandez and Mauricio Isla should be completely fit and ready to go hard for 90 minutes.
Chile vs. Venezuela kicks off at 6:15 PM E.T. and can be seen on Univision and Youtube in the USA. For our coverage of Sunday’s earlier quarterfinal, check out our Brazil vs. Paraguay StoryStream. For more on the Copa America, check out our 2011 Copa America section for all of our coverage from throughout the tournament. For our coverage of Saturday night’s quarterfinals, check out our Colombia vs. Peru and Argentina vs. Uruguay StoryStreams.
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