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Paraguay and Bolivia will face each other on Tuesday for their first match of the Copa America 2021 at Estadio Olímpico Pedro Ludovico Teixeira in Goiânia.
Paraguay lost their last competitive game against Brazil with a scoreline of 0-2. Neymar put the Selecao ahead in the fourth minute before assisting Lucas Paqueta in injury time to help Brazil win the World Cup qualifying game.
Paraguay reached the quarterfinal stage of the competition last time around, and Eduardo Berizzo's side will look to emulate or better that run this time around.
They drew three successive games before the loss against the Copa America hosts, but two of them were promising performances against Argentina and Uruguay.
Bolivia enter the game on the back of a 1-1 draw with Chile. Erick Pulgar opened the scoring in the 69th minute, but Marcelo Martins Moreno converted a spot-kick 13 minutes later to help Bolivia earn a draw.
Paraguay vs Bolivia Head-to-Head
Paraguay and Bolivia have played 15 matches against each other. Paraguay have won six games versus Bolivia's four, while five matches have ended in stalemates.
The two South American sides last met in November 2020. They played out an entertaining 2-2 draw, with Angel and Alejandro Romero scoring for the hosts. Marcelo Martins Moreno and Boris Cespedes netted for Bolivia as the game ended all square.
Paraguay form guide: W-D-D-D-L
Bolivia form guide: D-L-L-W-D
Paraguay vs Bolivia Team News
Paraguay
Paraguay have no injury concerns going into this clash.
Their defense will be marshaled by West Ham centre-back Fabian Balbuena. Meanwhile, Newcastle United forward Miguel Almiron is expected to lead the attack alongside Angel Romero.
Injured: None
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Bolivia
Cesar Farias is dealing with a last minute COVID crisis in the squad. Three Bolivian players and a member of the team's technical staff tested positive for COVID-19. All were in isolation, but their identities have not been made public.
Bolivia's hopes of winning this encounter will rest on the able shoulders of striker Marcelo Moreno, who has scored six goals in his last six appearances.
Injured: None
Doubtful/COVID: Three unnamed players
Suspended: None
Paraguay vs Bolivia Predicted XI
Paraguay Predicted XI (4-4-2): Anthony Silva; Robert Rojas, Fabian Balbuena, Gustavo Gomez, Junior Alonso; Gaston Gimenez, Cardozo Lucena, Richard Sanchez, Oscar Romero; Angel Romero, Miguel Almirón
Bolivia Predicted XI (4-5-1): Carlos Lampe; Diego Bejarano, Luis Haquin, Adrian Jusino, José Sagredo; Henry Vaca, Leonel Justiniano, Danny Beranjano, Boris Cespedes, Rodrigo Ramallo; Marcelo Martins
Note: This Bolivia lineup is an ideal XI that might start against Paraguay. However, some of these players may very well have tested positive for COVID-19 and will be unavailable for this fixture.
Paraguay vs Bolivia Prediction
Both teams will likely take a cautious approach, wary of losing the opening game and dropping points. The teams' defensive approach might result in few chances being created.
With this in mind, we predict a goalless draw.
Prediction: Paraguay 0-0 Bolivia
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