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Chile are looking to win their first ever Copa America trophy in their home country against Argentina in Santiago. The Chileans have impressed throughout the competition and have come through tough games to reach the final. In the semi-finals Chile were tested against Peru, edging past them 2-1 thanks to some individual brilliance from Eduardo Vargas. Argentina’s semi-final was a lot a more convincing, Martino’s men scoring 6 goals in a dominant display against Paraguay. Both teams have displayed some quality attacking play in the competition so far, Chile scoring 13 goals so far and Argentina scoring 10, the attacking quality of both sides will make the game and exiting match up with the possibility of a flourish of chances created and goals scored.
Chile’s ‘Golden Generation’ with players such as Alexis Sanchez, Eduardo Vargas and Arturo Vidal will be looking to proclaim their status in the history books with the first ever Copa America win for their country, on home soil. Chile are just one step away from claiming their first ever major trophy in the history of the national team, and the performances shown by the team so far would suggest they have a good chance of doing so, despite being up against superpowers Argentina.
Chile will be relying on the creativity of Jorge Valdivia to break down the defence of Argentina; Valdivia has played a pivotal role in the success of Chile in the competition so far, causing problems for the opposition in every game. Valdivia’s presence in the team has been vital in stretching the defences of the opponents, his vision and awareness has allowed Chile to find their way through the defence with ease with has resulted in them being the highest scoring side in the competition. Argentina will have to watch Valdivia closely and ensure they do not allow him any time on the ball because he has shown on countless occasions he is able to punish teams. Argentina are likely to have Javier Mascherano man-marking the playmaker and he will have a tough job on his hands trying to stop the tricky midfielder. The duel between the two will definitely one to keep an eye, and it could potentially heat up as Mascherano enjoys a good physical battle and could potentially lose his head. The same could be said for Chile’s Arturo Vidal, the Juventus midfielder has a history of losing his temper, he could have easily seen red in the semi-finals against Peru in the opening stages of the game following a scuffle with Carlos Zambrano, Vidal looked to have raised his hands and hit the face of the defender, the referee let him off with a warning; he will have be keep control of himself in the final as the last thing Chile need is to be down a man against Argentina.
Argentina have no doubt the best attack in international football at the moment, with players such as Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Angel Di Maria; the Argentinians are always going to be highly fancied to win the competition, and they have surely lived up to their expectations so far, a completely dominant performance against a strong Colombia side and destroying Paraguay on their path to the final will give the Argentinians huge confidence that they will be able to put an end to their 22 year trophy drought and win the Copa America. Lionel Messi has been in exceptional form in the Copa America, despite only scoring one goal, the Barcelona forward has shown his incredible ability to run through players with ease and create space for others, particularly shown in the game against Paraguay. Lionel Messi has been able to unlock the defences time after time so far in Chile, and will be looking to have an impact on the biggest stage. Despite Messi’s lack of goals he has been in hand with numerous assists and is in contention to win the golden boot, his movement has been able to drag defender out of position, allowing the likes of Aguero, Di Maria and Javier Pastore to shift into the space and cause problems in front of goal.
Chile could potentially employ a 352 system, which is likely play into the hands of Argentina, the pace on the counter attack has been mesmerizing at the times and they will be hoping to break against the Chile defence, Chile will also still be missing Gonzalo Jara, who is arguable Chile’s quickest defender, his presence will be missed in the final. Chile may be forced into playing deeper to try and cope with the attack of Argentina, but that goes without saying Chile’s attack will cause Argentina problems too. Both sides will created a lot chances, Claudio Bravo and Sergio Romero will have to be on form as either could face an onslaught of attacks.
Prediction…
Despite the wonderful attacking football and attacking players both sides have at their disposal, I predict the game will be tight, with not as many goals as some may predict, Chile will undoubtedly be nervous as they’re just one step away from making history, but the home crowd in Santiago will let their presence be felt and will behind their team all the way, which could have an negative effect on Argentina. Also, Argentina will have to put Brazil 2014 in the back of their minds as this is their first cup final since losing the World Cup final to Germany in extra-time. There is a lot on the line for both sides, and I predict both sides will feel the nerves and it will result in both sides being cautious, therefore I predict a 1-1 draw with Chile winning on penalties in the end. I also predict we will see the red card shown at some point in the game, I’m thinking either Javier Mascherano or Arturo Vidal may be dismissed. I have no doubt the game will be exciting fast paced end to end encounter between the two sides, the attacking football on display will be a joy to watch at times.