Eight teams have qualified for the Copa America 2021 quarterfinals, with the competition's first knockout round set to begin on July 2nd. Two of the tournament's favorites, Argentina and Brazil finished top in their respective groups. Messi’s Argentina will face Ecuador, while Neymar’s Brazil will face Chili in the quarterfinals. With a relatively easy quarter-final opponent, they will most certainly proceed to the semi-finals. The matchups between Uruguay and Colombia, as well as Peru and Paraguay, are expected to be the most exciting in the quarter-finals. In this article, we discussed who can qualify for the Copa America 2021 semi-finals?

Read:UEFA Euro 2020: Meet the Quarter-Finalists

Who are the Front-Runners in the Race to the Semifinals?

1st Quarter-Final (Peru vs. Paraguay)

Venue: Goiania | Date: July 3 | Time (BST): 3 am

Verdict: Paraguay 2-1 Peru

Paraguay finished third in Group A with 6 points. The Paraguayan national team has shown a lot of promise in this tournament. They overcame Bolivia and Chili but lost to Argentina and Uruguay by a solitary goal in both matches. On the other hand, Peru placed second in Group B with 7 points. They were thrashed 4-0 by Brazil but came out on top 2-1 against Colombia. Based on the present form, Paraguay will start the match as a favorite.

Paraguay’s probable starting XI

Antony Silva (GK), Robert Rojas, Júnior Alonso, Alberto Espinola, Omar Alderete, BraianSamudio, GastónGiménez, Mathias Villasanti, Gabriel Ávalos, Ángel Romero, and Alejandro Romero.

Peru’s probable starting XI

Pedro Gallese (GK), Aldo Corzo, Miguel Araujo, Miguel Trauco, Renato Tapia, Luis Abram, YoshimarYotún, André Carrillo, Christian Cueva, Sergio Peña, Luis Iberico.

Read:England beats Germany 2-0 to reach Euro 2020 quarterfinals

2nd Quarter-Final (Brazil vs. Chili)

Venue: Rio de Janerio | Date: July 3 | Time (BST): 6 am

Verdict: Brazil 3-1 Chili

The defending Copa America champion Brazil are the clear favorite in this year's competition. In the quarterfinals, they'll face Chili, who haven't quite found their groove yet. So, Brazil will start the contest as the favorite.

Brazil’s probable starting XI

EdersonMoraes (GK), Thiago Silva, Danilo, Marquinhos, Alex Sandro, Everton, Casemiro, Richarlison, Fred, Gabriel Jesús and Neymar.

Chili’s probable starting XI

Claudio Bravo (GK), Mauricio Isla, Francisco Sierralta, Gary Medel, Eugenio Mena, Arturo Vidal, TomásAlarcón, Charles Aránguiz, Ben Brereton Díaz, César Pinares, Eduardo Vargas.

Read:Copa America 2021: Teams Qualified For Quarter Finals, Fixtures

3rd Quarter-Final (Uruguay vs. Colombia)

Venue: Brasilia | Date: July 4 | Time (BST): 4 am

Verdict:Uruguay 3-2 Colombia (Extra Time)

Uruguay have rediscovered their rhythm in their last two group stage matches, finishing second in Group A. They will face Colombia in the quarterfinal. Colombia finished the third spot in Group B and will go all-out against Uruguay. We can expect an exciting battle between these two teams.

Uruguay’s probable starting XI

Muoz (GK), Diego Godin, Caceres, Ronald Araujo, Damian Suarez, Lucas Torreira, Stuani, Nandez, Bentancur, Cavani, Suarez

Colombia’s probable starting XI

Ospina (GK), Tesillo, Mina, Medina, D Sanchez, Cuadrado, James, Uribe, Falcao, James Rodriguez, Martinez

Read:Messi breaks Argentina’s record for caps at Copa America win

4th Quarter-Final (Argentina vs. Ecuador)

Venue: Goiania | Date: July 4 | Time (BST): 7 am

Verdict: Argentina 2-0 Ecuador

Argentina played well in their final group stage match against Bolivia, winning by a large margin. So, we can expect a much more confident Argentine team to face Ecuador in the quarterfinal. Ecuador drew their final group stage encounter against Brazil, though Argentina will be the favorite to win this contest.

Argentina’s probable starting XI

Martinez (GK), Tagilafico, Romero, Molina, Pezzella, Rodríguez, Di María, Paredes, Lionel Messi, Gómez, Lautaro Martinez

Ecuador’s probable starting XI

Galindez (GK), Estupinan, E. Preciado, Hincapie, Arboleda, Palacios, Caicedo, Franco, Méndez, A. Preciado, Mena

Read:Swiss beat France on penalties at Euro 2020

Verdict

After assessing the strengths of the teams, it is apparent that Brazil and Argentina are the two clear favorites to advance to the next knockout phase of the Copa America 2021. Meanwhile, Uruguay and Paraguay will have a little advantage over their opponents in the quarter-finals. Overall, we expect the top teams to advance to the semi-finals.