SAO PAULO (Reuters) - • Argentina – Coach Gerardo Martino said his team is going to the U.S. to win and his star-studded squad will be favourites to lift their first major trophy since the Copa America in 1993. His 23-man squad includes all the big names who took them to the World Cup final in 2014 and the Copa America final last year. Lionel Messi will play after deciding to skip the Olympics in August and he will be joined by Javier Mascherano, Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain, who scored 40 goals for Napoli in all competitions this season.FIFA World Ranking: 1Player to watch: Lionel MessiFirst game v Chile on June 6• Bolivia - Bolivia are the lowest ranked team in the tournament and while they might argue that Venezuela are inferior their 79th position is not misleading. Their 3-2 win over Ecuador in last year’s Copa America was their first in the competition for 18 years. All but five of the Bolivians play their football at home, more than any other side in the tournament, and it will be a huge shock if they can qualify from a Group D that features reigning Copa America champions Chile, star-studded Argentina, and up-and-coming PanamaFIFA World Ranking: 79Player to watch: Juan Carlos ArceFirst game v Panama on June 7• Brazil – The five-times world champions come to the tournament without their outstanding player, Neymar, who will instead play at the Rio Olympics in August. Brazil were eliminated from the last two Copa America tournaments at the quarter-final stage but a decent performance this time will be vital for coach Dunga, who has been under pressure following some inconsistent results in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. In Neymar’s absence, Santos midfielder Lucas Lima and Paris Saint-Germain winger Lucas Moura will seek to shine in what will be a shop window for them.FIFA World Ranking: 7Player to watch: Lucas LimaFirst game v Ecuador on June 4• Chile – Chile are the defending Copa America champions, having won the competition for the first time last year in front of a passionate home crowd. The Chileans have been one of the best teams in the world in recent years, playing a brand of football that blends a skilled attack with men like Alexis Sanchez with a furious high tempo midfield personified by Arturo Vidal. The tournament is the first big test for new coach Juan Antonio Pizzi, who replaced the popular Jorge Sampaoli in January.FIFA World Ranking: 3Player to watch: Arturo VidalFirst game v Argentina on June 6• Colombia – After a shaky start to the World Cup qualifiers, Colombia won their last two games but they have a disappointing record in the Copa America, winning it once and not getting past the quarter-finals since 2004. With Radamel Falcao missing out through injury once again, the big questions are whether James Rodriguez can put a patchy season behind him at Real Madrid and on how much time coach Jose Pekerman will give to Atletico Nacional’s new wonder kid Marlos Moreno.
FIFA World Ranking: 4
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