(Reuters) – Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa has urged his side to come out determined to gain the upper hand when they take on Brazil in the quarter-finals of the Copa America at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday.
Uruguay, who won all three of their group matches and scored eight goals to finish top of Group C, will be hoping to progress to the semi-finals and the coach will be looking to implement his high-pressing attacking style against the Brazilians.
“Normally I focus on the sector of the pitch we play in, how we recover the ball, whether we threaten and how we threaten, and whether the way we build the attack is the style I want the team to play,” Bielsa told a news conference on Friday.
The coach also said that Vinicius Jr’s absence from the Brazil team won’t be a factor in their strategy, and described him as the best winger in the world.
“Personally, I don’t think his absence will affect us. Brazil are a country that has a lot of wingers at both ends of the pitch at the moment, and they play in big teams all over the world. Brazil’s replacement, Endrick, will not be easy to neutralise in Vinicius’ absence.”
Vinicius is suspended for the game for accumulating yellow cards.
Bielsa, who missed the 1-0 win over the United States after being suspended by CONMEBOL, added his absence was irrelevant as their opponents only threatened in the final 10 minutes: “If I had been on the pitch, the result would not have been any better.”
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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