Colombia vs Paraguay

NRG Stadium in Texas is the venue as Colombia and Paraguay go head-to-head in their opening 2024 Copa America Group D showdown.

Colombia’s unprecedented run of going unbeaten on the international circuit for over two years makes them one of the candidates to lift the trophy in the United States this summer. Nestor Lorenzo’s men have pieced together an outrageous 23-match undefeated streak (W18, D5), winning their last eight internationals by a combined score of 19-4. Los Cafeteros seem well-positioned to make it out of a heavily competitive Group D alongside Brazil, Costa Rica, and Paraguay, a feat they’ve achieved in 12 of their last 13 Copa America campaigns. Whether they can replicate their iconic success in 2001 when they lifted the crown for the only time in the nation’s history remains to be seen, but a flying start looks inevitable. The Colombians have beaten Paraguay in three of their last five H2Hs, racking up four clean sheets in that run (W3, D2).

On the other hand, Paraguay squeaked past Panama 1-0 in their final warm-up fixture ahead of the tournament to end a barren run of four internationals without scoring (D2, L2). But that barely makes them contenders for the trophy they’ve won twice in 1953 and 1979, especially considering they’ve failed to qualify for the last three World Cup finals. Another issue for the Paraguayans is a notorious lack of goals, which has seen them score just two goals in nine matches since September 2023 (W2, D3, L4). Paraguay’s dismal form casts doubt on manager Daniel Garnero’s bid to steer the country out of the Copa America group phase, a feat they’ve achieved in their last two editions, including the one in 2016 when they ousted Colombia in the States.