Copa América 2011 Warm Up: Brazil, Argentina and Colombia To Face Europe’s Best

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: February 4, 2011

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In less than four months, the Copa América will kick off in Argentina.  Sergio Batista's Argentina are in a tough situation where they need to win a trophy, hence the use of an experienced team.  Mano Menezes' Brazil will continue to test many new faces as they prepare for the 2014 World Cup.  Last, we have Hernán Darío Gómez's Colombia, who have struggled with mediocrity for the last 10 years.

This upcoming round of friendly matches will help the South American national teams prepare for the Copa América, while the Europeans gear up for another round of qualifiers for the Euro 2012.  Argentina faces Portugal in Switzerland, while Colombia goes to Madrid to challenge Spain and Brazil squares off against France in Saint-Denis.

 

Argentina vs. Portugal

Messi vs. Ronaldo is probably the best way to sum up this matchup.  The two best players in the world at the club level collide once again, but this time they surprisingly have supporting casts that do not click as well as Barcelona and Real Madrid.  This time around, Batista calls up some fresh faces, but the core of the team remains.  The nucleus of Romero, Zanetti, Mascherano, Cambiasso, Banega, Pastore and Messi will feature again in this crucial test for Batista.  

In what is a step in the right direction, Martín Demichelis and Gabriel Heinze have been left off the squad, which should give players like Nicolás Otamendi, Nicolás Pareja and Gabriel Milito more minutes in the back line.  Often criticized for their pace and marking ability at this stage of their careers, the back line will finally have a fresh look.  While Demichelis and Heinze will probably be in the Copa, this will be a good test for defenders who have not had as much playing time in recent memory.

In the midfield, Batista will hopefully try again the combination of...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

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