Uruguay vs Colombia: Preview, Odds, Team News, Predictions

The 2024 Copa America semifinal match between Uruguay and Colombia at Bank of America Stadium will be spectacular. 

Even though they performed well to advance to Thursday's match against Colombia by edging out a star-studded Brazil on penalties, Uruguay will face another formidable opponent. 

Ronald Araujo, a defender for Barcelona, is expected to be out with a muscular injury, while Nahitan Nandez, a midfielder, is suspended for the encounter. Most people think Jose Gimenez will start in his place.

Conversely, Los Cafeteros cruised over Panama 5-0, but it's easier said than done to defeat Marcelo Bielsa's squad. 

Uruguay x Colombia Team News

Ronald Araujo, a defender for Barcelona, will not play here after limping off against Brazil last weekend and likely missing a few months of action due to a muscle issue. The 28-year-old Nahitan Nandez will not be available to Uruguay as he serves a suspension after receiving a straight red card at the Allegiant Stadium.

Bielsa will unleash his assault in the wee hours of Thursday, with Darwin Nunez of Liverpool at the helm. Nunez began his Copa America experience with consecutive goals against Bolivia and Panama last month. The talented midfielder Federico Valverde of Real Madrid will start for Uruguay and get his 61st cap.

As of early Thursday morning, Colombia could have a significant advantage thanks to Crystal Palace midfielder Jefferson Lerma, who served a one-match suspension last weekend against Panama but is now free to return to complete action. But Bologna defender Jhon Lucumi will sit out the Bank of America Stadium match because he is currently nursing an injury.

Former Real Madrid great James Rodriguez, who opened his Copa America account last week in Glendale and has been shining all summer, will captain Colombia and earn his 105th cap in this match. On Saturday night, Luis Diaz of Liverpool will be a crucial player and score a goal against Panama.

Head To Head And Previous Matches

They started with Uruguay, which maintained its incredible ascent under Marcelo Bielsa's direction and earned a position in Thursday's semifinal with a historic penalties triumph against South American giant Brazil. The former Leeds manager oversaw a high-flying group that won all three Group C matches by an aggregate score of 9-1. 

They began their Copa America journey with a 3-1 win over Panama on June 24. Uruguay finished their pre-tournament training with a 4-0 defeat of Brazil, and in their last 12 matches across all competitions, they have only lost once. 

During the international break in November, they made a powerful statement by beating the reigning world champions Argentina 2-0. It's worth mentioning that Bielsa's team has only let in one goal in their past six games.

Regarding Colombia, La Tricolor has made a tremendous comeback despite being unsuccessful in securing a World Cup ticket to Qatar 18 months ago. 

Nestor Lorenzo's squad is riding a wave of confidence after making a massive statement in Glendale en route to a straightforward 5-0 thumping of Panama. 

The former Argentina coach's team has been riding spectacular success, appearing in 27 games across all competitions without a loss. Colombia also managed to take out some big names during their legendary run that started in February 2022. 

During their international break in March, Lorenzo's team won 1-0 away against Spain, a European powerhouse. Since then, they've received praise from all around the world.

Our Predictions

Both teams scored No @1.78 on Sky247.ng.

While Uruguay and Colombia might have played out a thrilling 2-2 stalemate when they last met back on October 12, we could be set for a far more nervy affair in the early hours of Thursday. 

With Bielsa's camp conceding just a single strike in any of their previous six appearances across all competitions, La Tricolor has also been impressed with their rugged defensive performances this summer. 

Shipping just the sole Copa America goal in almost 300 minutes of action, we could have an actual chess match at the Bank of America Stadium.

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