Copa America 2019: Chile vs Uruguay - Combined XI

Central midfielder: Rodrigo Bentancur (Uruguay)

The Juventus star continues to go from strength to strength

Having announced his arrival at the international shores, Bentancur is now thriving in his maiden Copa America participation. He put on a fine display against Ecuador in the opener but upped his game against a challenging Japanese side. With six tackles and seven interceptions, he proved to be an unflinching protective cover to the back four whilst also dominating on the ball aerially.

Central midfielder: Erik Pulgar (Chile)

Pulgar is coming of age for Chile

A fringe player during Chile's successful title defence in 2016, Pulgar has firmly established himself in the side. And with two highly compelling performances in this edition so far, he looks to have made the holding midfield position his own. He was on target against Japan, but it's the defensive aspect of his game that has truly stood out: eight defensive aerial duels and tackles each won to provide great security to the backline.