With a renewed sense of confidence in recent years, Paraguay come into the 2021 edition of the Copa America with expectations of going deep into the tournament.
A final appearance in 2011 followed by a semi-final in 2015 will give Eduardo Berizzo's side the confidence that they can go all the way this time around in Brazil.
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Following a fairly solid but unremarkable start to their World Cup Qualifying group, Paraguay will look to hit the ground running in the Copa America, as they aim to cruise through to the final eight.
GROUP
With the Copa America sides split into two groups, Paraguay have been drawn with two heavily-fancied sides in Argentina and Uruguay.
Here, Sports Mole assesses Paraguay's chances at the Copa America.
They start the group stage with a crucial clash against Bolivia, with the two sides both likely battling for the final two spots.
Between the Argentina and Uruguay games, Eduardo Berizzo's men take on Chile, in another important clash between sides in competition for spots in the final eight.
FIXTURES
June 15: Paraguay vs. Bolivia (1am BST, Estadio Olimpico Pedro Ludovico, Goiania)
June 22: Argentina vs. Paraguay (1am BST, Estadio Nacional de Brasilia, Brasilia)
June 25: Chile vs. Paraguay (1am BST, Estadio Nacional de Brasilia, Brasilia)
June 29: Uruguay vs. Paraguay (1am BST, Olympic Stadium, Rio de Janeiro)
RECENT FORM
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Paraguay come into the tournament having not won any of their last four games in all competitions, most recently losing 2-0 to Brazil in World Cup Qualifying action.
An early Neymar goal meant the defending Copa America champions led throughout, and Lucas Paqueta doubled their lead late in the game.
Although a four-game winless run seems concerning, that defeat did follow commendable draws with Argentina and Uruguay, as well as a 2-2 draw with Bolivia.
That means that on the whole, Paraguay do not come into the opening game in the worst run of form, currently sitting in sixth spot in their World Cup Qualifying group with four draws from their opening six games.
They will look to quickly put a win on the board in order to stop a more concerning winless run from growing.
SQUAD
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Goalkeepers: Antony Silva (Puebla), Alfredo Aguilar (Olimpia), Gerardo Ortiz (Once Caldas).
Defenders: Gustavo Gomez (Palmeiras), Junior Alonso (Atletico Mineiro), Fabian Balbuena (West Ham United), Santiago Arzamendia (Cerro Porteno), Robert Rojas (River Plate), Omar Alderete (Hertha Berlin), Albert Espinola (Cerro Porteno), David Martine (River Plate).
Midfielders: Oscar Romero (San Lorenzo), Miguel Almiron (Newcastle United), Richard Sanchez (Club America), Mathias Villasanti (Cerro Porteno), Robert Piris Da Motta (Flamengo), Gaston Gimenez (Chicago Fire), Angel Cardozo (Cerro Porteno), Jorge Morel (Guarani), Andres Cubas (Nimes), Braian Ojeda (Olimpia).
Forwards: Angel Romero (San Lorenzo), Alejandro Gamarra (Al-Taawoun), Antonio Bareiro (Libertad), Braian Samudio (Caykur Rizespor), Gabriel Avalos (Argentinos Juniors), Julio Enciso (Libertad), Carlos Gonzalez (UANL)
STAR PLAYER - Miguel Almiron
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Despite only having two international goals to his name, Newcastle United attacker Miguel Almiron could be the main man if Paraguay are to go deep into this year's tournament.
Almiron has featured for his country in the 2016 and 2019 editions of the Copa America, having made his debut in 2015, but the 27-year-old had to wait until late 2019 for his first international goal, as he found the net in a 4-2 victory over Jordan in a friendly.
After impressing in the MLS for Atlanta United, as he scored 21 goals in 62 appearances, Almiron earned a move to the Premier League as Newcastle United smashed their transfer record to bring the exciting winger to the North East in January 2019.
However, he did not have the easiest start in the English top flight, as the winger had to wait until December for his first goal, which fired his side to an important 1-0 win over Crystal Palace.
Since then, things have started to look better for Almiron, as he netted eight goals and two assists in all competitions in 2019-20 and five goals and three assists in 2020-21, while playing a slightly deeper role recently.
He has become far more pivotal to the Magpies' build-up play, often being deployed from deeper to supplement the forwards with late runs and passes, and the 28-year-old will be a key asset for his nation in this tournament if he can translate those more advanced skills into the Copa America.
MANAGER - Eduardo Berizzo
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Argentinian manager Eduardo Berizzo heads into his second Copa America with Paraguay this year, having taken charge for the 2019 edition soon after his appointment in February of that year.
In that tournament, Berizzo guided his men to the quarter-finals, when they were knocked out in a penalty shootout after a commendable effort in a goalless draw against eventual winners Brazil.
However, things have not gone too well for him since then, having picked up just four victories from his 20 total games in charge, although 10 of those matches were drawn.
Having previously managed O'Higgins in his home country, followed by a mixed spell in Spain with Celta Vigo, Sevilla and Athletic Bilbao, Berizzo does carry a strong pedigree and could again get his side to the knockout stage, especially considering he took charge of Celta Vigo for 148 games, overseeing 61 victories in that time.
COPA AMERICA RECORD
Best finish: Winners (1953, 1979)
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Boasting a fairly rich continental history, Paraguay have lifted the Copa America trophy on two separate occasions, although they have not won the title since 1979.
The first triumph came in 1953 as they defeated Brazil 3-2 in the final, holding off a Brazil comeback after they led 3-0 in the first half.
La Albirroja then regained the title 26 years later, lifting the trophy in 1979 with a win over Chile in the final.
It has not all been plain sailing for Paraguay, though, as they have lost in the Copa America final on six separate occasions.
The most recent final appearance came in 2011, as La Albirroja qualified for the final eight with three points, before they defeated Brazil in a penalty shootout in the quarter-finals.
Paraguay then won their second penalty shootout to beat Venezuela and reach the final, but they fell short in a 3-0 defeat to Uruguay on the big stage.
After a 10-year absence from the final, Berizzo's men will look to make their seventh appearance and lift the trophy for the third time.
PREDICTION
In a particularly competitive group, this tournament could definitely go either way for Paraguay, who will find themselves in a heated battle for spots in the top four.
We expect Argentina and Uruguay to cruise through in the top two spots, leaving Paraguay to battle with Chile and Bolivia for the final two spots.
From that position, we see a fairly exciting Albirroja outfit sneaking into fourth spot, as they should have more than enough to get past Bolivia while potentially getting a result from Chile.
They also possess the ability to gain a creditable result from games with Argentina and Uruguay, but we do not see them making it through the quarter-finals as they will likely be drawn with Brazil or Colombia.
On the whole, Paraguay should crash out in the first knockout round, but do not expect this energetic outfit to go down without a fight.
VERDICT: Quarter-finals
Sam Varley
