Copa America favorites Brazil return to the pitch on Thursday with a match against Peru in Group A action. Brazil beat Venezuela 3-0 in their opener, while this will be Peru's first match in this edition. Due to the format of having five teams in each of the two group, each matchday will see one team not play. With Peru resting on Matchday 1, they now make their debut with a huge chance to build momentum in a competition where they look to surpass expectations.
Here's how you can watch the match and what to know:
Viewing information
Date: Thursday, June 17 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Estadio Nilton Santos -- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
TV: FS1 (English) and TUDN (Spanish) | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
Odds: Brazil -520; Draw +575; Peru +1500 (via William Hill Sportsbook)
Storylines
Brazil: The story of their opening win was just how that scoreline did not reflect their performance. While they beat the Vinotinto 3-0, they could have doubled that score with so many good chances. But, it's better to be wasteful in the group stage than the less unforgiving knockout stage. They'll face a stiffer test here against Peru, but the result should be similar. Expect domination with Peru getting very little in attack, with the hosts showing their flair and likely winning in style.
Peru: After experiencing a great run from from 2017-2019, which included qualifying for the World Cup and making the Copa America final, expectations don't seem to be nearly as high from the outside. But the 2-1 win against Ecuador in WCQ in their last match shows they can still compete as long as they focus on defense first. This isn't a team that will kill you with possession, but their speed to go on the counter can cause trouble. Expect them to sit deep, defending with nine or 10 and aim to make it an ugly match. If they can stay disciplined at the back, they can get something from this match, but they'll need a lot of good fortune.
Prediction
Brazil have no trouble, moving to 2-0-0 with a more convincing victory than their win over Venezuela. Pick: Brazil 3, Peru 0