The Copa America semifinals begin on Tuesday and there could be no bigger game to kick off proceedings than South American soccer's biggest rivalry.
Brazil and Argentina have seven World Cups between them, and since they first met over 100 years ago the rivalry has produced an abundance of iconic moments, both on and off the field.
Even without mentioning Lionel Messi, there's plenty of stardust sprinkled on both teams to suggest this year's encounter will be no different. The hosts started slowly before bursting into life with a 5-0 thrashing of Peru, but they needed a penalty shootout to overcome a Paraguay side that had been largely underwhelming so far.
Argentina, on the other hand, crawled over the line in the group stages, before expertly negotiating a potential banana skin against Venezuela in the quarter-finals.
The other semifinal, meanwhile, features two teams that have defied the odds, albeit for different reasons.
After winning the last two editions of the Copa America, this year was supposed to be a swansong for Chile's golden generation. However, Reinaldo Rueda's team has defied that gloomy forecast.
La Roja defeated Colombia on penalties on Friday, while Peru also required a shootout to eliminate Uruguay.
Ricardo Gareca's men were highly unfancied before the tournament but recovered well from a shellacking at the hands of Brazil in the final group stage to earn a spot in the final four.
Here's everything you need to know ahead of the semifinals.
Schedule
Tuesday, July 2
- Brazil vs Argentina 8:30 p.m., ESPN+, Telemundo
Wednesday, July 3
- Chile vs Peru 8:30 p.m., ESPN+, Telemundo
TV channel
Every game in the knockout stage will be available in the U.S., with ESPN+ providing coverage in English and Portuguese.
Meanwhile, Telemundo Deportes will broadcast every game in Spanish across their networks of Telemundo and Universo.
Live stream
All the knockout stage games will be available to be streamed via ESPN+ and Telemundo digital platforms. Live streams will also be available on fuboTV, Sling Blue, Hulu Live and PlayStation Vue.
Odds
Bookmakers expect Brazil and Chile to meet in the final for the first time in the tournament's history. According to Oddsshark, the Selecao is a 17/20 favorite (+375 in moneyline terms) to beat Argentina in regulation, while the draw is 23/10 and Argentina is at 15/4.
Chile is a 91/100 favorite to win the other semifinal, while the draw is at 9/4 and a Peru win in regulation is at 7/2.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he ... Read more
