"Paraguai precisa ser forte e aproveitar o jogo": Eduardo Berizzo

Paraguay could become a «dangerous rival» against Brazil in Porto Alegre on Thursday for the quarterfinals of the Copa América, and to do so it will have to be brave, Guaraní team coach Eduardo Berizzo on Wednesday.

The Argentine who took the technical direction of the Paraguayan team four months ago, considered it vital that his team goes out to enjoy the game to be played at the Arena do Gremio.

«We can become a dangerous opponent tomorrow» said «Toto» in the prelude to the match against Tite’s team. «Obviously they’re going to demand a lot of defensive precision, but we also have to make the ball a weapon to get out of that defensive situation (…) and have depth with a lot of verticality», he said.

Paraguay reached the quarterfinals as third in Group B, after drawing against Qatar (2-2), Argentina (1-1) and losing against Colombia (1-0), a road without triumphs but with good football passages, according to their coach.

With the first-round series in the past, the Guaraní team is looking optimistically and with all its men in good shape the duel against a Canarinha that seeks to bury the two penalty eliminations Paraguay gave them in the cups of Argentina-2011 and Chile-2015.

References from the recent past that will be set aside on Thursday, in a game in which Paraguayans will need «to be brave, go out to play with no inhibitions (…) to enjoy the game, being very competitive», the Argentine added.

Argentina-Venezuela, Chile-Colombia and Uruguay against Peru complete the quarterfinals of the Copa América that will title the champion on July 7th in Rio de Janeiro.