Vinicius Jr Suspended: Why Now is the Time to Bet on Savio
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Vinicius Junior will not be able to take to the field after collecting his second yellow card against Colombia, and will therefore miss out against Uruguay.
It has been an up-and-down tournament for Vinicius Junior. Despite scoring twice against Paraguay, he has underperformed in the other two matches - and there are others waiting for their opportunity.
Vinicius Junior will be watching from the stands
Brazil’s head coach Dorival Junior has continued to start Vinicius Junior despite the Real Madrid star failing to fire on all cylinders for the national side.
Before the Copa America began, the 23-year-old only had three goals to his name for Brazil’s senior side. This led many to question whether his place in the team should be given to him just because of his domestic form.
Although he’s added two more goals to his tally, there are still question marks around Vinicius Junior in a Brazil shirt, and it might not be as detrimental to Brazil as some believe.
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With Vinicius Junior watching on from the sidelines, Brazil still have a host of options available to them in the final third. Real Madrid’s Rodrygo has yet to get on the scoresheet in their three group matches, and as his form has been up-and-down, it’s best to avoid him against Uruguay.
Barcelona’s Raphinha started against Colombia and scored a wonderful free-kick inside the opening 12 minutes. Although his performance wasn’t his best, Junior may choose to start him for his set piece ability alone.
But the main threat Brazil will have is Savio. After a magnificent campaign with Girona in La Liga, Savio has impressed at the Copa America. He’s only started one match (against Paraguay) but he scored and was arguably the best player on the pitch.
Even in his 20-minute cameo against Costa Rica, Savio completed six dribbles (the most out of everyone) and posed a constant threat in front of goal.
Uruguay will be confident heading into this one. Brazil have been poor, and Vinicius Junior’s absence will help them out, even if he hasn’t been in the best form. However, Savio remains Brazil’s brightest spark, likely to both create and score for the Selecao.