The Copa America in Argentina continues on Monday evening with the four sides from Group C taking centre-stage as the much-fancied Uruguay will face an injury-hit Peru and an intriguing battle is in store when a weakened Mexico side goes head-to-head with Chile.
Hosts Argentina got off to a shaky start on Friday as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Bolivia, while Colombia took top spot in Group A courtesy of a 1-0 win against Costa Rica.
Brazil and fellow Group B sides Venezuela, Paraguay and Ecuador will do battle on Sunday which will pave the way clear for the third group to get into the swing of things in the battle to be South America’s finest.
Uruguay v Peru
These two sides will meet in San Juan with all the talk focused on the problems facing Peru coach Sergio Markarian as he looks to select a side capable of creating problems for a Uruguayan side (9/1 Copa America Winner) still on a high after reaching the semi-finals of last summer’s World Cup.
Markarian must find suitable replacements for key strikers Jefferson Farfan and Claudio Pizarro, who are missing due to injury – but the likes of Carlos Zambrano, Luis Ramirez and Jesus Rabanal are far from 100 per cent fit as well.
To make matters worse, top midfielder Juan Vargas faces a late fitness test to see if he can feature in the match.
Despite his problems, Markarian claims the side are in good spirits ahead of the encounter – his first competitive match in charge of Peru (8/1 To Win 90 Minutes) against his home nation.
“The spirit in the changing room is good, the players are good,” he said. “They don’t need anyone to give them a lift. They are very strong and are fired up and ready to play.”
However, it seems that Markarian is merely putting a brave face on things as Uruguay, who have reached the last-four of the Copa America in the past three tournaments, look a superior squad even if Peru had all their big guns fit and available.
The strength of Oscar Tabarez’s Uruguay side (7/5 Group C Winner) is their attacking prowess with striker Diego Forlan, strike partner Luis Suarez and Napoli’s Edison Cavani likely to feature in a 4-3-3 formation with ammunition from out wide set to come from Porto’s Alvaro Pereira.
With those players seemingly fit and ready for action, there can only be one outcome from this clash and that is a Uruguay victory.
Prediction: Uruguay To Win 90 Minutes @ 1/3
Value Bet: Diego Forlan 1st Goal Uruguay To Win 2-0 Scorecast @ 18/1
Chile v Mexico
This fixture also in San Juan throws up a dilemma when considering the outcome simply because Mexico will be fielding a youthful line-up shorn of star players such as Javier Hernandez, Pablo Barrera and Andres Guardado following their recent CONCACAF Gold Cup success in the United States.
However, there will be some experience in the guise of Giovani dos Santos and Rafael Marquez Lugo and 31-year-old goalkeeper Luis Michel, who is confident they can compete with the best at the Copa America (50/1 Winner).
He said: “The group is working well, hard, and with a good mentality. We listen to our manager, so we know exactly how he wants us to play. There is quality (in this team), we have a great opportunity and we should take advantage of it.”
Chile (5/4 Group C Winner) will go into the game with goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, who is keen ‘not to raise false expectations’, insisting that the squad’s ‘ideal target’ is to at least reach the semi-finals and then possibly go on and win the tournament (10/1 Winner).
Chile’s hopes will no doubt rest on the shoulders of Udinese star Alexis Sanchez, whose excellent form in Italy’s Serie A has resulted in a summer bidding war for his signature.
La Roja also have West Brom’s Gonzalo Jara and Jean Beausejour, who will want to put relegation from the Premier League with Birmingham firmly behind him in Argentina.
It is set to be a close encounter in this Group C clash and one which Mexico could be made to pay for substituting experience with youth.
Prediction: Chile To Win 90 Minutes @ 4/9
Value Bet Chile To Win 2-1 Correct Score @ 13/2
Want £200 Free? Click here to visit Bet365 and claim your free money.