Perhaps the marquee matchup of the Copa America quarterfinals is the matchup between Uruguay and Colombia.
Ahead of the match, Atlético Madrid defender José María Giménez spoke to the media, where AS relayed his comments, discussing various topics. One of the first topics concerns the ability of the Uruguyan backline to defender Colombian forwards, who he praised.
The other part of the conversation with the media is discussing the strengths of the Uruguay squad that could present problems for Colombia in their matchup this weekend.
“It is a team with very strong, powerful players, sprinters. Each striker has his virtues; you have to quickly recognize his virtues to try to overshadow them and not let them grow during the game, which is the least of it. It interests us as defenders,” Giménez said.
One of the following questions that Giménez answered regards Uruguay being the favorite for the Copa America trophy should they advance past Colombia.
“I think Uruguay has a lot of respect at the level of history; putting on this shirt imposes a lot. We are a National Team that competes for everything it has to play. Who wants to have an opinion? In the end, we are in a world where people say what they want, but our mentality is evident to us, and it is always to compete,” Giménez said.
Finally, Giménez discussed the Uruguayan squad and elaborated when he feels that his national team is at their best, considering they’ve struggled to score goals this tournament despite having Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani.
“I think Uruguay was always good, making mistakes like all the teams in this Cup, having their virtues, and having the humility to correct these mistakes. We arrived well, we have corrected a lot of what we have done wrong, and we continue promoting what we have been doing well. That makes us a regular team,” Giménez said.
The winner of the matchup will either take on Argentina or Ecuador in the semi-finals.