Brazil Faces Venezuela In Tuesday Copa America Group Play

It’s difficult for an ‘outsider’ to conceptualize the amount of pressure that Brazil’s soccer team is forced to endure. Soccer is huge throughout South America but there’s not a country in the world with their identity as inextricably bound to their success on the field as in Brazil. Brazil’s boosters and the country’s sports media are demanding to the point of being unrealistic. Simply put, they want a level of domination that just isn’t possible in the 21st Century football ecosystem. There are too many good teams throughout the world and even second tier teams usually have a decent nucleus of talent. Brazil’s fans might want their team to run off three World Cup victories in the next four tournaments like they did in the late 1950’s through the early 1970’s but that world just doesn’t exist anymore.

Making matters all the more difficult for Brazil is the fact that the team seems to be in a perpetual state of chaos. Case in point–many in Brazil’s soccer media have suggested that team coach Tite is playing for his job in the Copa America. Should his team turn in a disappointing performance he could take the fall. The problem is that everything short of a victory would be considered a disappointment. Making this ‘Tite on the hot seat’ rumor all the more bizarre is that he received a contract extension after Brazil’s quarterfinal elimination from the 2018 World Cup. In theory, that was a vote of confidence but if these rumors are true there could have been a change of heart. It’s tough for a coach or player to live up to expectations when the ‘bar’ keeps moving.

Brazil is playing this tournament without superstar forward Neymar which is definitely a blow to the offense but might be a net positive for the focus of the team. Neymar is a walking maelstrom of controversy these days for a number of reasons not the least of which is an ongoing sexual assault investigation in France. More recently, it sounds like his Paris Saint- Germain team is sick of Neymar’s act and looking to ship him elsewhere. PSG CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi made these roundabout comments that essentially translate to ‘my way or the highway’:

“I want players willing to give everything for the shirt, the club and join for the project. Those who do not want that, or do not understand, we will see each other and talk. Of course, there are contracts to be respected, but the priority now is total commitment to the project. Nobody forced Neymar to sign for us. Nobody pushed him here. He knowingly signed up for this project.”

That’s the kind of drama Brazil might be able to avoid with Neymar not in the lineup. His absence was evident in the first half of the opening game against Bolivia. Several players admitted they were ‘nervous’ and the Brazil team was sent to the dressing room with a cascade of boos after a scoreless first half. They would turn things around after the break with a pair of goals from Phillippe Coutinho and a single goal from Everton. Even with the better showing after the break, the consensus is that it wasn’t an acceptable performance putting Brazil in the odd position of ‘having to atone’ for a 3-0 victory.

The good news for Brazil is that this matchup sets up perfectly for a strong showing. They should have a much more enthusiastic and supportive crowd with the venue moving up the coast to Salvador’s Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova. They face a Venezuela team that definitely has bigger issues at home than football as the country’s socialist regime continues to implode. The situation at home is unfortunate since Venezuela has some young talent–they reached the 2017 U20 World Cup Final after all. The problem is that raw talent can only go so far without coaching, management and infrastructure all of which are in short supply in today’s Venezuela.

Brazil should win with ease but the soccer betting odds show them at a hefty chalk price. That is indicative of the huge qualitative disparity between the teams. Venezuela’s opening game draw with Peru had more to do with the tentative approach from both sides than any type of defensive excellence. Peru had two goals waived off after video review and were unfortunate to not get the victory. The ‘Over’ has some interest but we’d have to hope that Brazil could exceed the total on their own since Venezuela can’t be trusted for even one goal. The best value approach appears to be taking Brazil to win to nil.

BET BRAZIL TO WIN TO NIL OVER VENEZUELA -175

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