Odds favour the three most traditional South American squads to defeat their opponents in the first clashes of the competition, which kicks off this Friday (14 June)
The 46th Copa America, which will be played across five different Brazilian cities, is nearly here, with hosts Brazil facing underdogs Bolivia this Friday, 14 June in the opening match in São Paulo. Eternal rivals Argentina will clash against Colombia in what should be an interesting line-up, whereas the always competitive Uruguayan side take on Ecuador. Don’t rule out longshots Chile just yet, though, who come in as defending champions and back-to-back winners of the tournament.
First things first
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Where should I be investing my money?
If you’re looking for a rather guaranteed way of making a return on your investment, then look no further than the tournament’s opening match this Friday, 14 June in São Paulo, when Brazil take on Bolivia. In spite of star Neymar Jr.’s absence due to an ankle injury last week, which will keep him out of the competition, the Canarinho-nicknamed yellow and jersey team have their constant roster of quality players, such as Gabriel Jesus, Richarlison, Daniel Alves and Roberto Firmino, to name only a few.
And playing in front of their home crowd, the squad is priced at 1.07 to win the match, whereas Bolivia really seem to be the underdogs according to bets, valued at 31.50 in Oddsshark’s website. Confidence surely seems to be high in regards to the five-time World Cup winners who are looking to claim their 9th Copa America title, so much so that if you bet US$5 in Brazil scoring over 3.5 goals, you could get back US$17.50 of your money’s worth.
Next up, let’s look at what should be a much tighter match and possibly the most interesting one in this round: Argentina x Colombia. Lionel Messi’s Argentina, who at 14 are only one title away from tying with biggest Cup winners Uruguay, who hold 15 championships, will face the likes of Colombia’s James Rodríguez, Radamel Falcao and Juan Cuadrado on Saturday, 15 June in Salvador.
After losing two consecutive finals to Chile in 2015 and 2016, Argentina, whose last men’s main national team triumph was the 1993 Copa America, are ‘desperate’, in Manchester City’s Sergio Aguëro’s own words, to take this one. Odds put them just slightly ahead of winning the clash at 2.25, while Colombia have a 3.45 chance of coming out as victors, according to bets. A draw, on the other hand, is priced in the middle at 3.10.
Uruguay and Ecuador face off in Sunday’s highlight
Known for their grit and foralways playing with their heart, Uruguay is the most successful team of the Copa America, boasting 15 titles. And with the deadly duo of Suárez &Cavani up front, the winners of the 2011 edition are looking to start things off well against Ecuador on Sunday, 16 June in Belo Horizonte’s famous Mineirão Stadium, which was home to Germany’s unforgettable 7-1 thrashing of Brazil at the 2014 World Cup.
The Celeste-nicknamed Uruguayan squad leads bets to win at 1.80, while underdogs Ecuador have a 5.45 stake of taking it. If you think Ecuador can up their level and pull off a draw at US$10 of your money at 3.25 odds, you could get a US$32.50 pay out, according to Oddsshark.
Defending champs Chile are favourites against Asian invitees Japan
Once upon a time, Chile were known to ‘choke’ when push came to shove in major competitions. This has changed completely, however, and ‘La Roja’ now have the two last Copa America trophies, in 2015 and 2016, to show for. With world-class players like Arturo Vidal, Alexis Sánchez and Eduardo Vargas, the Chileans have a quick-passing game and are a tough side to face.
This task will be up to Japan, who along with Qatar are one of the two non-South American squads invited to play this 2019 Copa America, and could make for an interesting line-up, since the Asians are also well known for their speed. Nevertheless, odds favour the South Americans to win the clash at 1.41, while Japan’s betters clearly see them as the underdogs to take it, pricing them at 7.50.
Copa America First Round matches:
Friday, 14 June
(1.07) Brazil x Bolivia (31.50); draw (10.75)
Saturday, 15 June
(3.20) Venezuela x Peru (2.45); draw (3.00)
(2.30) Argentina x Colombia (3.45); draw (3.10)
Sunday, 16 June
(1.71) Paraguay x Qatar (5.70); draw (3.45)
(1.80) Uruguay x Ecuador (5.45); draw (3.25)
Monday, 17 June
(7.50) Japan x Chile (1.41); draw (4.30)
