Kickoff: 1130pm, Tuesday, June 30.

-

The Paraguay coach, Ramón Díaz, says he already owes his squad two pickup trucks, and will owe them a third if they upset Argentina in their Copa América semi-final.

Argentina are favourites to win Tuesday’s match in the northern Chilean city of Concepción and reach a final against the hosts.

“Did I promise the squad something? Ask the players, they’ve already won two,” Díaz, who is famous for his motivational methods, laughed.

The striker Édgar Benítez later confirmed: “We’ve already won two pickups off him and we’re going for the third.“

Díaz said Paraguay’s run to the last four had been spurred by the team’s desire to make up for their failure to reach last year’s World Cup finals in Brazil. “I believe in the thirst for revenge of this team, that’s why we’ve got to this stage,” he said.

If Paraguay win they will reach their second successive final after the 2011 tournament when Gerardo Martino, now in charge of Argentina, was coach. Paraguay fought back from two goals down for a 2-2 draw with Martino’s Argentina in their opening group match, only Díaz’s fourth in charge.

“I like it that the team have the fortitude to turn [bad] situations around, we have a spirit that I like,” said Díaz.

His team has a number of veterans from the Paraguay side that reached the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in 2010 but the Argentinian singled out the 21-year-old midfielder Derlis González for special praise.

González struck the penalty equaliser against Brazil in their quarter-final and followed it with the decider in the 4-3 shoot-out win that sent them through. “[González] had the character to kick two penalties at very difficult instances,” said Díaz.

Martino was in charge of Paraguay for five years, including the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and is well aware of their never-say-die attitude.

“With any team, but especially Paraguay who I coached and know, when you have the chance to finish the job, do it, because they have a lot of pride,” he said. “It’s clear we have a problem finishing … If we can change that we’ll be good.”

-