Nestor Lorenzo says Colombia will not be satisfied unless they win the Copa America, with Uruguay next up for them in the semi-final.
Los Cafeteros are the in-form team at the tournament, and are on a 27-match unbeaten run in after their dominant 5-0 victory over Panama in the last round.
They have won all but one of their games at the Copa America so far, drawing 1-1 with Brazil in the other to secure top spot in Group D.
Colombia have only won the Copa America once before, back in 2001, and despite their fine run of form, Lorenzo says their tournament run will only be a success if they end their 23-year wait for a second title.
"To have a good Copa America is to win it," Lorenzo said. "It is not an abstract concept. The objective is to win every game we play, and the boys know that.
"[We take it] game by game. The goal is to win the next game. The most important game is the next one.
"We are confirming the importance of coming to the national team and wearing the shirt. They [the players] feel a great pride in being there and that is typical of players.
"In this team, they kill themselves for their teammates. We worked hard on that from the beginning. It's the way I feel about football from the technical direction."
Uruguay played out a goalless draw with Brazil before prevailing on penalties to book their place in the semi-finals.
Despite showing off their free-flowing play early in the group stage, their defensive solidity has pushed them forward in the competition as they have not conceded in any of their last three matches.
They now face off against the highest scorers in this year's Copa America, with head coach Marcelo Bielsa knowing they face a stern test against Colombia's attackers.
"Colombia has many forwards, which is not common today," Bielsa said. "There is more than one option for each level without much difference.
"The Colombian footballer has undergone a transformation. 'He' has always been creative, dominant, naturally competitive and has added the essentials to survive in today's football."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Uruguay – Jose Maria Gimenez
If Jose Maria Gimenez plays against Colombia, he will become the sixth Uruguayan player to reach 20 appearances in the Copa America, joining the ranks of Diego Perez, Roberto Porta (both 20), Schubert Gambetta (21), Fernando Muslera (22), and Angel Romano (23).
Colombia – James Rodriguez
James Rodriguez has provided five assists in this year's Copa America. One more assist will make him the first player to surpass this figure in a single edition since these records began in 2011, breaking the current record he shares with Lionel Messi (five assists in 2021).
He has also created the most chances so far (14) and got his first goal last time out in their win over Panama.
MATCH PREDICTION: URUGUAY WIN
Uruguay and Colombia are meeting for the third time in a Copa America semi-final. The first encounter was in 1975, with Los Cafeteros advancing to the final, while in 1995, La Celeste triumphed 2-0 and later claimed the title against Brazil.
Colombia are competing in the semi-finals for the seventh time since 1993, but have only reached the final once in that time, when they beat Mexico 1-0 to lift the title in 2001.
They have already equalled their most prolific scoring runs at the tournament, having netted 11 goals so far (also achieved in 1975 and 2001).
While Colombia's goalscoring has caught the eye, they now face the stingiest defence at the Copa America.
Uruguay have conceded just one goal (against Panama). It is the fewest goals allowed by La Celeste in their first four matches of a Copa America edition since 1959 – they won the title in Ecuador, conceding just one goal, and Bielsa's team are backed to win by Opta's supercomputer.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Uruguay – 46.2%
Draw – 25.1%
Colombia – 28.7%
Guardiola 'cannot imagine' Man City's Premier League success without Ederson
Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City's Premier League dominance in recent seasons would not have been possible without Ederson.
The Brazil goalkeeper's future at the Etihad Stadium is uncertain, amid speculation linking him with a move to Saudi Arabia.
Ederson has been an integral figure for City since his arrival from Benfica in 2017, with 112 clean sheets in 250 Premier League appearances under Guardiola, while recording a save percentage of 68.17.
The 30-year-old conceded just 26 goals last season as the Citizens won an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title - and their sixth since he joined the club.
Ederson's distribution has also been crucial to City's success, notably completing 942 of his 1,097 passes last term (85.87%).
"I wish from the bottom of my heart Eddie will continue with us," Guardiola said. "I would love him to stay.
"I cannot imagine our processes succeeding these last seasons without him. He is an important figure in the locker room."
Ederson could feature for City on Saturday when they continue their pre-season tour of the United States against Paulo Fonseca's Milan at the Yankee Stadium.
Ten Hag targets further transfers as Man Utd prioritise squad depth
Erik ten Hag wants more transfer activity ahead of his third season in charge of Manchester United, saying the Red Devils must work to replicate their rivals' strength in depth.
Ten Hag signed a new contract after overseeing United's FA Cup final victory over Manchester City in May, having previously been expected to depart.
Ahead of their first full season under the Jim Ratcliffe regime, United have spent an estimated £88million to acquire forward Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna and centre-back Leny Yoro from Lille.
But after United suffered more injuries causing a player to miss at least one match (45) than any other Premier League team last term, Ten Hag believes more is required.
"I want the squad as strong as possible," Ten Hag told reporters at a press conference ahead of Saturday's friendly versus Arsenal.
"We already made two very good buys, so when everyone is fit we have a team that can beat everyone.
"But also in squad depth, we have to catch up. We know that because when we had injuries, we were vulnerable, and we have to avoid this.
"First, by picking up fewer injuries. And second, our squad has to be that good in depth.
"Of course, we have the quality, but in the depth we have to catch up even more, because this will be a season that is survival of the fittest.
"We proved we can beat the best team. Not just once, we did it twice. Our challenge is to do it consistently, that's what we have to work for."
Slot hopes Jones 'recovers fast' after limping off against Betis
Arne Slot says Liverpool are waiting to discover the extent of Curtis Jones' injury, after the midfielder was forced off during the Reds' 1-0 victory over Real Betis.
The Dutchman oversaw his first win since replacing Jurgen Klopp at Anfield, with Dominik Szoboszlai scoring the only goal in Pittsburgh.
It was the first match of the Reds' pre-season tour of the United States, though it remains to be seen how much of a part Jones will play after he limped off on the half-hour mark.
However, Slot said the decision to withdraw the midfielder was precautionary.
"I think it's too early to tell [how bad it is]," he told reporters during his post-match press conference. "Maybe he could have played on, but I think maybe you could see he was not at 100%.
"In a friendly game, with so many days coming up in our tour, it was best to take him off. We hope he recovers really fast, so we can see him in the next few games.
"It's always a pity if he has to go off after 25 minutes, half an hour. And before that, you could see that he was not completely free.
"It was unfortunate because he had two really good weeks during the training sessions, so I looked forward to seeing him in the game, but unfortunately he had to go off.
Trey Nyoni replaced Jones for the remainder of the game, and Slot was pleased by the 17-year-old's impact.
"The good thing about that was that we brought someone [on] that impressed me in the 45 minutes to an hour he played afterwards.
"I think [Trey] did really well today, but it was only an hour. He was one of the reasons why we scored the goal, because he turned really quickly and [played] a spot-on pass in between the lines. And he was also involved in the biggest chance in the second half.
"We are really careful with him. So he doesn't join every session, and sometimes he goes off a bit earlier. You can see his quality, but you can also see his body still needs some time to grow to play at Premier League level. But he showed some interesting things today.
I think there were a few positive things and, of course, a few things we have to improve. But the positive thing is that we kept a clean sheet. I think we only conceded one big chance and that was somewhere around the last 10 minutes of the game.
"So, we controlled the game really well and, in between, we had a few good attacks where we created a few good chances and scored a good goal."
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