We dive into soccer betting action in the Western Hemisphere with a slew of matches in the Copa America and CONCACAF Gold Cup, highlighted by a showdown between Chile and Ecuador on Friday. We break down the football odds with our betting trends, in-depth analysis and predictions to help you turn a profit on the pitch.
Must-Win Game
Argentina came out flat in its Copa America opener against Colombia and paid for it. Now, the team that entered the tournament as the No. 2 favorite is in a precarious position as it hosts Paraguay on Wednesday. the Argentines dropped a 2-0 decision to their South American rivals and will need a minor miracle to finish first in Group B. But despite dropping all the way to +600 to win the Copa America event – the fourth-best odds in the tournament – they're still heavily favored at -225 to beat a Paraguayan side (+650) that opened group play with a goal-filled 2-2 draw with Qatar.
Top Spot in the Bag?
Colombia can clinch first place in the Group B standings with a victory and some help as they tangle with Qatar on Wednesday. Fresh off an impressive victory over the powerhouse Argentines, the Colombians are hefty -334 favorites against a Qatari team (+1000) that roared back from a 2-0 second-half deficit to pull out a hard-earned draw with Paraguay. A Colombia victory combined with an Argentina-Paraguay draw would hand the Colombians top spot with one game left in the round-robin. Both teams are relatively healthy going into this one, and have never faced off before on the pitch.
Rude Welcome
Japan hadn't played in the Copa America tournament in 20 years prior to this year's event – and it took all of 90 minutes for them to get hit by a dose of reality. The Japanese side will look to keep its knockout round hopes alive Thursday as it takes on a Uruguay team that should make things difficult on them. Japan is still reeling from a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Chile, and comes in at an astronomical +1400 against Uruguay (-600), who cruised past Ecuador by an identical 4-0 score in their tournament opener. But Japan does have a point of momentum, having beaten Uruguay 3-2 in their previous meeting last year.
Chile Reception
While Uruguay are in great position to extend their unbeaten start to the Copa America, Chile are also primed to remain undefeated as they tangle with Ecuador on Friday. The Chileans (-120) dominated from start to finish in the victory over their Japanese foes, while Ecuador (+350) fell behind after just six minutes against Uruguay and couldn't recover. That win over Japan was a significant one for Chile, which had won by more than one goal just once in their previous 21 matches. And with their final round-robin game against Uruguay likely to decide top spot in Group C, they'll need another big victory Friday.
Betting Trends
* It has been an incredible run of defending and goalkeeping for Colombia, who will look to keep that stretch going in their Copa America tilt with Qatar on Wednesday. The Colombian national team has recorded three consecutive shutouts, outscoring the opposition 8-0 over that span. Bettors are getting -138 on another Colombian clean sheet Wednesday.
* It's hard to believe Argentina and Paraguay played such low-scoring games in their previous two meetings given the rest of their recent history. They've combined for just one goal in their last two encounters after averaging 5.6 combined goals in their previous five showdowns. We like the Argentines to erupt in this one, and favor the O2.5 at -110.
* Speaking of plentiful goal-scoring, Japan and Uruguay have a rather entertaining history as the backdrop of their Thursday Copa America encounter. The teams have gone above the 2.5-goal threshold in four of their five meetings all-time, with each of those four games producing in excess of four total goals. The O3.5 option is an intriguing one here at +137.
* The home team has had an incredible advantage in the recent head-to-head series between Chile and Ecuador as the South American rivals duel Friday in Copa America action. The hosts have won each of the past eight meetings, outscoring the visitors 17-3 over that span. Ecuador are installed at a tempting +450 to come away with a one-goal win this week.
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* The CONCACAF Gold Cup continues this week, and there are several intriguing matches on the schedule – including Mexico facing Canada on Wednesday for the first time since the two sides met in World Cup qualifying in 2016. The heavily favored Mexicans dominated en route to a 5-0 two-leg win in 2016; they're +300 to win by two goals, and +400 to prevail by three.
* Neither Martinique nor Cuba got off to a particularly great start at the Gold Cup, with Martinique dropping a 4-0 decision to Canada and the Cubans falling 7-0 to Mexico. The teams played to a scoreless draw in their most recent meeting in 2016 – and given how much they struggled in their openers, it wouldn't surprise to see them go U2.5 (-134) when they meet Wednesday.
* Haiti rallied to win their Gold Cup opener 2-1 over Bermuda thanks to second-half goals from Pierrot and Etienne. And with a match against lowly Nicaragua next on the agenda this Thursday, expect both players to be solid plays on their respective goal-scoring prop bets. Pierrot is +137 to score against the Nicaraguans, while Etienne is set at +175.
* Look for Costa Rica to end up on the right side of a big victory as they come in at -1600 for Thursday's Gold Cup encounter with Bermuda. The Costa Ricans have recorded shutouts in each of their past two home games while keeping their opponents out of the goal column in both; a 3-0 victory Thursday is worth +450, while a 4-0 triumph pays out at +500.
Team News
* It's official: Maurizio Sarri will take over the reins at Juventus after leading Chelsea to the Europa League title in 2019. Sarri returns to Italy following a one-year hiatus, having formerly led Napoli to a team-record 91 points. Juventus rolled to victory in Serie A this past season and are hefty -163 favorites to defend their title yet again.
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