The wait will be over soon. Copa America 2021 will finally kick off as Brazil and Venezuela will take the field on Sunday, June 13, at Estadio Mané Garrincha in Brasilia on Matchday 1 of Group B. The hosts hope to begin their path to a back-to-back championship, while La Vinotino expect to pull off a shock.
La Verde-amarela have been ruling the continent since Tité arrived in 2016 and will be hosting the continental cup for the second straight time, hoping to retain their crown. After an impressive start to the South American World Cup Qualifiers, they are the strongest candidate to claim the title.
On the other hand, the outlook for José Peseiro's squad looks much darker. Venezuela stand at the low part of the table on the road to Qatar 2022 and seem far from their next opponents' level. However, nothing prevents them from surprising the hosts and proving doubters wrong.
Brazil's confirmed lineup for Copa America 2021 debut
Brazil's Copa America 2021 roster looks scary for any opponent, as it's arguably the mightiest in the whole continent. They could even line up two different sides that would be better than other national teams, as it's usual to see world-class players sitting on the bench. This is going to be their starting eleven to begin their Copa America campaign:
Alisson; Danilo, Eder Militao, Marquinhos, Renan Lodi; Lucas Paquetá, Casemiro, Fred; Gabriel Jesus, Richarlison, Neymar Jr.
Venezuela's confirmed starting XI for Copa America 2021 kickoff
La Vinotinto have suffered some tough casualties ahead of the tournament due to injuries and Covid-19 positives. Well-known striker Salomón Rondón, Darwín Machís, Yordan Osorio, Wilker Ángel, and Rolf Feltscher won't be part of the team in this tournament. Also, Tomás Rincón confirmed he is one of the positives cases of Covid-19 and José Peseiro informed that seven players who started against Uruguay aren't available due to the infection. Therefore, this is how Venezuela is going to line up to begin the Copa America 2021:
Joel Graterol; Alexander González, Adrian Martínez, Francisco La Mantía, Luis Mago, Yohan Cumana; Junior Moreno, Christian Cásseres, Bernaldo Manzano, José Martínez; Fernando Aristigueta.
