New Delhi: Uruguay and Colombia are set to meet in the second Copa America 2024 semifinal at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. Both teams have an unbeaten record in the competition, with Uruguay keeping clean sheets in four games and two for Colombia.
Uruguay failed to score first in the competition in their quarterfinal match against Brazil which ended goalless at the end of 120 minutes. They won in the penalty shootout 4-2. Federico Valverde, Rodrigo Bentancur, Giorgian de Arrascaeta, and Manuel Ugarte managed to score their penalties and did not allow the Jose Giminez penalty miss to affect them.
Meanwhile, Colombia put five past Panama in the quarter-finals courtesy of James Rodriguez, Jhon Cordoba, Luis Diaz, Richard Rios, and Miguel Borja. Captain James Rodriguez ran the show with a goal and two assists. They created a record of their biggest margin of victory in any Copa America game. By far, they have gone without dropping a single game in 27.
Los Cafeteros last lost a game in the 2022 World Cup qualifier against Argentina. If they manage to win the semis against Uruguay, they will write history and create a record for the longest stretch of games without suffering any defeat. They have equalised their goalscoring record of 11 goals from their title-winning campaign in 2001.
Both Uruguay and Colombia have been in good form in the competition and have played some attractive football so far. They will not each other move to the finals easily and will present a great show.
Team News
Uruguay camp will miss the presence of Nahitan Nandez as he got a red card for the disastrous tackle on Rodrygo. Another miss in the La Celeste side will be Ronaldo Araujo as he suffered a serious muscle injury in the quarter-final match against Brazil. Defender Guillermo Varela is the likely choice at full-back, and Jose Gimenez is set to replace Araujo alongside Mathias Olivera.
On the other hand, in the Colombian camp, Jefferson Lerma is expected to make a comeback in the squad. He was suspended because he had collected two yellow cards in the group stage. He will return alongside Richard Rios in the centre midfield with Mateus Uribe dropping back to the bench.
Head-to-Head
Both teams have crossed paths 45 times in all competitions. Uruguay have the upper hand over Colombia with 20 wins. Colombia is not much far behind with 14 wins, and 11 games have ended in draws. Los Cafeteros are unbeaten in their last three meetings against the 2011 champions, and the two teams played out a 2-2 draw when they last met in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier in October.
Before this, they have met 12 times in the Copa America. Just one meeting ended in a draw, and La Celeste led 6-5 in wins. Uruguay have kept six clean sheets in their last seven games in Copa America. The two teams will meet in the knockout stages of the competition for the consecutive second edition. In the 2021 edition, Colombia registered a 4-2 win on penalties in the quarterfinal.
Predicted lineup
Uruguay: Rochet; Varela, Gimenez, Olivera, Vina; Valverde, Ugarte; Pellistri, De la Cruz, Araujo; Nunez
Colombia: Vargas; Munoz, Sanchez, Cuesta, Mojica; Rios, Lerma; J. Arias, Rodriguez, Diaz; Cordoba
When, where, and how to watch the Argentina vs Canada match in India?
The Argentina vs. Canada Copa America 2024 match is officially not being broadcast in India. However, you can catch the highlights from Fan Code. The action begins at 5:30 a.m. IST tomorrow.
Uruguay and Colombia face off in the Copa America 2024 semis, both unbeaten. Can Colombia set a new record or will Uruguay’s defense prevail? Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
