Tag Archives: Copa

Graham Hunter: The 13/2 shot that should still see Barcelona crowned Copa del Rey champions

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The first thing to establish is that this is neither a ‘home’ game for FC Barcelona nor an ‘away’ match for Athletic Bilbao. Ok, sure, the Basques have had to travel and Barça haven’t. But by kick off something remarkable will have happened – The Camp Nou will be far, far more red and white than it is supposed to be.

Each club was given around 39,000 tickets for this blue-riband match in a 98,000 capacity stadium – but you can expect to see red and white ribands, scarves, txapela hats, strips, banners and flags everywhere.

The Barça fans will be present, don’t worry about that. But so absolutely enormous is the hunger from the Athletic support to see their first trophy since 1984 that you can expect black market briefs to have landed in Basque hands. To the extent that, I guarantee, some Barcelona fans will have sold the tickets they won in the club lottery to Athletic fans just in order to fund a trip to Berlin for the Champions League final next Saturday.

Lionel Messi

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If you are old enough to remember how the FA used to allocate the Tartan Amy about fifteen or twenty tickets for Wembley but by the time kick off came there were at least 60,000 of us there …. like that.

  • NB: If you are shading the odds based on location and the fact that Athletic have only won 18 times in 87 years of visits to the Camp Nou bear this in mind.

The concept of travelling fans in Spanish football is utterly different from the UK and Ireland. If any away team takes 1000 supporters to an away ground that’s regarded as pretty stellar. In La Liga there’s no guaranteed quota for ‘away fans’ to the extent that there is in the Premier or Champions League.

Thus if there are upwards of 50,000 Athletic fans in the Camp Nou, and I think there will be, then that utterly changes the atmosphere from any visit by Los Leones to play Barcelona in any of their home stadia.

There are a few famous occasions of mega favourites [mostly Madrid] losing the cup final in their home stadium. On their centenary in 2002 and in Jose Mourinho’s last ever Madrid game when they lost to Atleti in that dramatic 2013 Copa Final.

The second thing to establish is that if there has ever, in the history of this crazy sport of ours, been a support which is able to exhibit primeval levels of desire, and to transmit that sufficiently for their team to narrow the quality gap on an opponent – it’s the support of the Athletic fans.

That last trophy they won was in May 1984 against Diego Maradona‘s Barça [and it ended in Bruce Lee-Enter the Dragon style scenes between the two sets of players because of bad blood over the Butcher of Bilbao Andoni Goikoetxea-Maradona incident earlier that season] but they’ve lost their three subsequent cup ties against Barça, including the Copa Finals of 2009 and 2012, on an 8-2 aggregate.

However, believe me, it was a life-changing experience to listen to the Athletic fans at the Calderón Stadium three years ago. They’d just lost the Europa final 3-0 to Atlético and this was a gambler’s last-gasp chance at redemption.

Within what felt like the blink of an eye they were not only 3-0 down, again, but being toyed with. It was Bambi versus the Terminator. But, boy, those fans just never let up – a Phil Spectator Wall of Sound from start to finish. Part encouragement to their battered players, part pure defiance. Just monumental.

Luis Suarez

 

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At the end of the match when Barcelona were celebrating, Xavi and Puyol sought out an Ikurriña [Basque] flag [It’s red with a white cross superimposed on a green X] paired it with the Catalan ‘Senyera’ flag and placed them both, symbolically, in the centre circle together. A real gesture of respect.

These are the two sides which have most won La Copa and it is a regular pairing in the final too. But recent years have seen not only a resurgence of the ‘Clásico’ final but a complete alteration of Real Madrid‘s valuation of winning the domestic knockout tournament.

Thus, make no mistake, there’s a reason why this isn’t being held at the Santiago Bernabéu as Athletic wanted it to be – Florentino Pérez has got the huff.

Remember the days when not everyone could afford a football, and one dumpy kid whose parents splashed out on him every Christmas would sulk: ‘It’s my ball and if you wont’ pass to me I’m leaving, and it’s coming with me’? That’s our Florentino.

Carlo Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti sacked, Rafa Benitez as good as confirmed, money to be spent, David De Gea likely to join… the last thing old Don Florentino wanted was for Basques or, worse, Catalans to be celebrating in ‘his’ stadium as they lifted the Copa up to the skies

This is the first trophy Rafa will be expected to lift when the final is played next season, in April most likely. Just watch Los Blancos clamour to hold the final in the Bernabéu or the Camp Nou then if they’ve qualified!

But… to business. If this is to be Athletic’s Copa then by far the most likely route to glory is a set play. Or the second ball off one. Barcelona are markedly better at defending them this season but lately have lost goals to both Bayern and Deportivo in this way.

Athletic have a couple of powerful weapons in this department – both Aritz Aduriz [by far their leading all-comps scorer this season, all time stat = three goals v Barcelona] and their ex-Liverpool stopper, Miki San Jose [six goals this season, none in nine v Barcelona], are aerially adept.

Bet your bottom dollar that Luis Enrique, and his tactical/strategic guru Juan Carlos Unzué will put special emphasis on Barcelona not conceding corners or free kicks in their own half.

Gerard-Pique-Barcelona

But here’s the rub. Plenty of Ernesto Valverde‘s players have figures like: Played Barcelona 15/18/20 times Won: 1. If you want reason to believe that some kind of ‘opposition’ to Barcelona might be worth your while when you punt then it’s got to be based around the coach, Valverde.

For Athletic, in his first spell over a decade ago, for Espanyol and for Valencia he’s turned up a series of draws home and away and he won his first Catalan derby as Espanyol coach 3-1 – albeit as the Frank Rijkaard era became moribund.

Barcelona have been in ‘off’ mode since beating Atlético at the Calderón two weeks ago – valuable rest and recuperation for tired minds and bodies. But will that give them turbo-charged sharpness and power to overhaul Athletic in a blitzkreig first half …. or will it leave them just a little sluggish and vulnerable to being closed down?

Is Luis Suárez‘ hamstring fully healed?

The obvious thing to point to is that Messi loves playing Athletic – 15 goals in 22 matches against them. He doesn’t hate finals either. He’s only lost four of 17 with Barcelona and in the 22 matches those finals have entailed he’s scored 18 times plus given four goal assists.

Graham’s Bets

So, in summary. Barcelona should win, it’s far from ludicrous to suggest that Athletic might make them struggle to do so – in fact backing FCB to have to come from 1-0 down and win 2-1 doesn’t look a hopeless cause to me.

Messi, Aduriz, Piqué, San Jose and possibly [finally!] Iniesta might be worth ‘any-time’ shouts.

  • Barcelona to come from behind and win – 13/2
  • Barcelona to win 2-1 – 17/2
  • Iniesta to score anytime – 12/5

If there was a market where you can back which fans will make more noise, throughout… back the Basques.

 

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Real Madrid v Valencia – Copa Del Rey Betting Preview

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Cristiano RonaldoReal Madrid are hosting Valencia for the first leg of their Copa Del Rey quarter-final fixture tonight, in what should be an exciting clash. Real Madrid will be welcoming back Cristiano Ronaldo with open arms along with Antonia Adan, and they are our hot 4/11 favourite to have success.

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Boca liking the Copa

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With the domestic football season in the UK all but over it is time to turn our attention elsewhere. In South America, the Copa Libertadores has reached the quarter-final stage and there are plenty of big names left in it. Boca Juniors and Santos are in action on Thursday night/Friday morning as we look ahead to what should be two corking quarters.

For those unfamiliar with the Copa, it is basically the South American equivalent of the Champions League, with 32 teams split into eight groups from which the top two advance. This year has already seen some big name casualties, with Brazilian giants Flamengo and last year’s finalists Penarol having made early exits.

The first legs of two quarter-finals have already taken place with both matches finishing in draws. The all Brazilian affair between Vasco de Gama and Corinthians ended goalless in Rio de Janeiro with the weather hampering both teams.

The second quarter saw Universidad Chile grab a 1-1 draw away from home against Paraguay’s Libertad.  The next two matches are also likely to be cagey but more intriguing for the neutral.

Boca Juniors v Fluminense 11.45pm BST

These two giants of Brazilian and Argentinian football respectively meet at La Bombonera in the first leg of their clash on Thursday night in what should be the more intriguing off the two quarter finals. Boca and Fluminense were in the same group together this year – the Rio outfit winning five of their six matches as they finished in top spot.

Fluminense won in Buenos Aires but Boca got their revenge by defeating Abel Braga’s team on their own patch. While it’s tough to judge Fluminense’s form outside of the Libertadores as they are still going through the regional competitions in Brazil, they are unbeaten in five on their travels. However, they will be without some big name players against Boca, with Wellington, Fred, Deco, Diguinho and Valencia all out.

Boca have injury problems of their own, although not as extensive, with Pablo Ledesma, Leandro Somoza and Santiago Silva all absent. Los Xeneizes have been good at home recently but were frustrated by Velez Sarsfield on Sunday and will need to up their ideas if they are to break down Fluminense.

The Chocolate Box is bound to be bouncing on Thursday and Boca should have the edge, though, in a tight first leg given all Fluminense’s injury problems.

Boca are 7/10 for the win, with the draw priced at 23/10 and Fluminense 18/5.

Velez Sarsfield v Santos 2am BST

As defending champions and with Brazilian superstar Neymar flying right now, Santos should cruise through this quarter-final tie, especially with the second leg at home.

While the Sao Paulo outfit lost the first leg of their last-16 tie with Bolivar 2-1, they did show their class with an 8-0 win at home in the second leg.

Santos look more tactical astute than they were this time 12 months ago, their mauling at the hands of Barcelona in the Club World Cup obviously taught them a valuable lesson. The Peixe are far from just a one man team either, with Alan Kardec, Arouca and Elano all threats.

Standing in their way are Velez, the winner’s of last year’s Clasura in Argentina. The Buenos Aires outfit have made a strong start to the season and are currently five points off top spot in their domestic leage.

However, it has been Velez’s away form which have served them well recently and at El Fortín they are winless in the last seven.

As a result, Santos to win the first leg at 9/5 could be the way to go, with Velez 13/10 and the draw 21/10.

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Uruguay to edge unlikely Copa final

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Uruguay and Paraguay go head-to-head in an unlikely Copa America final in Buenos Aires on Sunday in what looks like being a bridge too far for underdogs Paraguay (Uruguay 4/11, Paraguay 2/1 – Outright winner).

Gerardo Martino’s side have actually yet to win a game in the whole tournament – having advanced through their group by drawing all three games before winning on penalties in both the quarter and semi-finals following goalless draws.

So, with that stat in mind, it is no surprise Uruguay, who have been the stand-out team in Argentina, are the hot favourites to lift the 42nd Copa America.

This has been an unpredictable competition though and Oscar Tabarez’s men will do well not to underestimate their opponents, who have built on last summer’s impressive showing at the World Cup and caught plenty of countries by surprise.

Built on a solid defence, which helped them past both Brazil and Venezuela in the knock-out stage, they know how to stifle more talented opposition.

The critics would say Paraguay also know how to stifle the game in general after successive 0-0 draws, but playing for penalties against a formidable Uruguay outfit could cost them dearly on Sunday.

They will certainly be hard to break down and Martino, who is forced to watch the game from the stands after being suspended following an on-field fracas in the aftermath of the semi-final win, will set them up with the emphasis firmly being on defence.

However, in Luis Suarez, Uruguay have a player who, on his day, can be unplayable and the Liverpool striker will be desperate for a goal to pick up the golden boot award as he sits tied with Sergio Aguero on three goals going into the final.

His strike-partner Diego Forlan has failed to hit the heights in Argentina so far, but he remains a top-quality striker and will be eager to show his true form in one of the biggest games in world football. Therefore, a punt on the Atletico Madrid man to score anytime at 11/8 is well worth a bet.

Paraguay may fancy their chances of keeping Uruguay at bay and taking the game to extra time when anything can happen but a narrow 1-0 win for Uruguay at 18/5 looks like a wise wager.

As has been the case with much of the tournament, don’t expect a cracker although, considering what’s at stake, neither of these two will be too concerned about that.

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Copa quarters shake-up

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The quarter-finalists are now all in place in the Copa America and finally, after a slow start, the tournament should come alive with some eagerly-awaited games to come this weekend. But who is going to go all the way in 2011?

Argentina

After a disappointing start to the tournament, when the hosts were jeered by their own fans in dull draws against Bolivia and Colombia, Argentina came to life in their final group game, albeit against a weak Costa Rica outfit.

Nevertheless the 3-0 victory, inspired by Barcelona star Lionel Messi and Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Aguero, has given the locals hope that they can fulfil their pre-tournament favourites’ tag and go on to lift the trophy.

They come up against a talented Uruguay outfit in the last eight (Argentina 8/15, Uruguay 5/1, the draw 13/5 – match prices) so progress is by no means guaranteed but any side with Messi, Aguero, Carlos Tevez, Angel Di Maria, Gabriel Milito and Gonzalo Higuain in it should be feared and, as long as they now click into gear, the competition is still theirs to lose.

Uruguay

The quarter-final showdown against the hosts is Uruguay’s ‘punishment’ for also beginning the competition slowly, as draws against Peru and Chile were eventually followed up with a slender 1-0 victory over Mexico – who themselves struggled badly in Group B to finish bottom of the pile with no points.

Liverpool forward Luis Suarez has failed to show the sort of form that, at times, lit up the Premier League in the second half of last season and he has managed just one goal so far, in the opening draw with Peru.

Equally, Diego Forlan – who was voted the best player at last summer’s World Cup – has been strangely subdued and has yet to find the back of the net.

However, they possess some real talent in the squad, not least in the aforementioned duo, and also with the likes of Alvaro Gonzalez, Sebastián Eguren and experienced defender Maxi Periera so, like Argentina, they can be a real force if they play to their potential.

Sadly for Uruguay it looks as though their tournament is about to come to an end, though, as the hosts will probably have a little too much for them in the big clash between the two on Saturday.

Chile

Chile topped their group, ahead of Uruguay, and are showing in Argentina that their impressive performance in South Africa 12 months ago was no fluke (Chile 4/7, Venezuela 9/2, the draw 9/2 – match prices).

In Alexis Sanchez they have one of the most coveted forwards in world football with all the top sides throughout Europe, including Barcelona, Manchester United and Chelsea, clamouring for his signature.

And his performances so far prove he does have the talent to match the hype.

Sanchez has bagged one goal but has caught the eye for Chile, with much of their best attacking play going through the Udinese star, and he will be vital for them if they are to progress further.

A last-eight clash against Venezuela awaits for Claudio Borghi’s side, so a place in the semis is there for the taking in San Juan on Sunday.

Brazil

In a spooky coincidence, Brazil began the tournament in similar fashion to the way great rivals Argentina started.

The second favourites struggled early on and were stung with criticism from back home with two lethargic draws in their first two games – the second only secured thanks to a last-minute equaliser by Fred against Paraguay.

But the five-times world champions managed to get past Ecuador 4-2 in their final group game to ensure progress into the last eight and now face Paraguay for a place in the semi-finals (Brazil 4/7, Paraguay 9/2, draw 5/2 – match prices).

Despite failing to sparkle so far, the mere fact they are Brazil means they have a chance of winning the tournament and, of course, they have plenty of talent in their side with Dani Alves, Neymar – who scored twice against Paraguay – Lucio, Ramires and Alexandre Pato to name just five.

However, Brazil do appear to lack the star-studded line-up of tournaments gone by this year and winning the Copa America looks like being a tall order for Mano Menezes’ side such is the quality of other sides.

Expect them to make it into the last four but, beyond that, it looks like being a struggle.

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Mexico to Copa load of Uruguay

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If you have been betting on this year’s Copa America you are probably wondering what is going on with the likes of Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina. Just one win has been recorded between the three powerhouses of South American football. Having drawn both their opening matches Uruguay are staring a first round exit in the face. Only a win over a youthful Mexico side will do. Can Diego Forlan and co finally come good when it counts?

The Celeste were expected to challenge Argentina and Brazil in their quests for the Copa America after so impressively reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup last year. However, life has been far from simple for Uruguay and they have found themselves in a tougher group than many expected, with Peru and Chile having impressed. Draws against Chile and Peru has left Uruguay needing a win against Mexico to make it through, with the CONCACAF Gold Cup winners having lost their previous two matches.

As expected Uruguay are the 2/5 favourites, with Mexico a big 7/1 and the draw 14/5. The last time these two sides met was in the group stages of the World Cup, Luis Suarez getting the only goal of the game as both nations progressed to the latter stages. From that Mexican team that played in Rustenberg, South Africa, only Giovanni Dos Santos is expected to feature.

For those of you who haven’t followed the build-up to the tournament the Mexican FA suspended a number of their top players for ill discipline and have had to name a very youthful squad for the Copa America after their exploits in the Gold Cup. They are the whipping boys of the group and if Uruguay don’t get a result against them questions will be asked to where it has all gone wrong from 12 months ago.

The names that impressed at the World Cup are still there, Diego Lugano, Cristian Rodriquez, Forlan and Suarez. However, things don’t appear to be clicking at this time for Oscar Tabarez’s men and time is running out for them to get it right. History is on their side in this competition, they are the joint-most successful team in Copa America history and have reached the semi-finals or final in the last four tournaments.

They need a spark and based on his form for Liverpool before the end of the season Suarez might be the man to provide it. He is 4/1 first/last goalscorer and evens to score anytime, the same odds as Forlan. However, while Forlan endured a torrid season at Atletico Madrid and comes into the tournament in no real form, Suarez impressed in the Premier League and,  like Lionel Messi for Argentina against Costa Rica if he can shine then so can Uruguay.

Uruguay have never beaten Mexico in a Copa America match but that record should be broken on Wednesday night.

Don’t expect a high scoring game – under 2.5 goals at 4/5 could be a safe bet – but surely there can only be one winner if Uruguay awake from their slumber.

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Copa shocker for Argentina

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Argentina remain the 5/4 favourites to seal Copa America glory on home soil but the South American giants have hardly enjoyed a glittering start to the competition.

Bolivia and Colombia have both managed to frustrate Sergio Bastia’s Argentina, with Bolivia grabbing a 1-1 draw and Colombia holding out for a 0-0 stalemate.

However, Bastia is confident they can secure victory over Costa Rica in their final Group A fixture and book a spot in the knock-out stages.

“The things are not going the way they were in the friendly matches. No one expected this kind of game, nothing comes out the way we expected,” Batista said.

“I remain confident about these players, they are very good. We’re a little slow in the front. This does not require major change, we will play with two defensive midfielders and maybe one more winger, one man is missing in the area.

“We have a game against Costa Rica, and we can have five points to qualify. We need to keep calm, think it is a final and come out with this mentality.”

Argentina certainly boast plenty of quality amongst their ranks, including Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez and Atletico Madrid frontman Sergio Aguero, and Basita will be desperate for his star men to replicate their club form for their country.

Bolivia can take a massive step towards reaching the next stage of the Copa America with a victory over Costa Rica on Thursday night.

The Bolivians took an improbable lead over Argentina in their opening fixture before being pegged back and they’re evens to take maximum points on Thursday, while the draw is 11/5 and Costa Rica are 5/2.

Bolivia will have been given a massive boost in confidence following their display against Argentina and they should prove too strong for minnows Costa Rica.

However, neither Bolivia nor Costa Rica are particularly blessed in terms of attacking talent and a single goal could separate the two sides, with under 2.5 goals priced at 8/11.

On Friday, Uruguay take on Chile in what could well prove to be an interesting contest.

Uruguay are the slight favourites at 7/5, while Chile are 7/4 and the draw is 21/10. Chile have plenty of attacking talent, including one of the most wanted men this summer – Udinese schemer Alexis Sanchez – but Uruguay are a well organised and efficient unit, with some talented players of their own.

Chile saw off Mexico in their opening fixture, while Uruguay were held by Peru, and the fixture does promise to be a close encounter.

Uruguay will be desperate to grab their first win of the tournament and should be able to get the better of Chile.

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Copa America Countdown

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The 43rd edition of the Copa America starts in Argentina on Friday with 9/5 shots Brazil looking to underline their dominance of South American football having won the tournament four of the last five times since 1997.

The only time the Samba Kings have failed to reign over the last 14 years was in 2001 when host nation Colombia secured their one and only title thanks to a 1-0 win over Mexico.

However, they are not the favourites pre-tournament with that honour instead falling to the latest hosts, Argentina (evens), despite their shoddy performance on the international stage since taking the Copa America back in 1993.

Manchester City captain Carlos Tevez has underlined the importance of winning and he feels home advantage can help to banish the memories of near misses in 2004 and 2007.

“I am dying to win the Copa,” confirmed the industrious forward. “I played in the last two finals which we lost to Brazil. But now we will have home support behind us and this will be key.”

The winner is widely expected to be either Argentina or Brazil, with Chile the third favourites but still a 10/1 chance, which confirms the expected two-horse race.

The scene is set for Lionel Messi to take his place among the greats of world football, with arguably only the 24-year-old’s record at international level currently keeping him just below legendary status.

Messi’s importance to the cause has been highlighted by Angel di Maria – an enemy at club level since his switch to Real Madrid – who said of the Barcelona star: “We have got to show Argentina have it in us to win the title. That means getting the ball, moving it around and linking up with Leo.”

La Albiceleste get the ball rolling with a clash against Bolivia before what should be relatively straightforward meetings with Colombia and Costa Rica (Argentina 3-0  Correct Score – 9/2).

The prize for topping Group A for Argentina will be a quarter-final against the weakest side to emerge from the group stage and coach Sergio Batista, who tasted international glory with the side at the 2008 Olympics, will not have to remind his players of that fact.

Brazil - who face Paraguay, Venezuela and Ecuador in Group B – will also face a third-placed qualifier if they top their group and if, as expected, Argentina see off their last-eight opponents along with Brazil then the two will be kept apart in the semi-finals.

Prediction: Argentina to beat Brazil in the final in Buenos Aires on July 27.

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Who will be the Copa kings?

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With the domestic football season still over a month away across Europe, fans can get the opportunity to whet their appetite by taking in the thrills and spills of the Copa America from this coming Friday as the super-stars of South America do battle for the ultimate prize of their continent.

The 43rd edition of this tournament will get underway on July 1 as host country Argentina (1/5 Group A Winner) face Bolivia looking to secure what would be their 15th tournament victory in front of their adoring home fans.

On the face of it, it is difficult to see past the big three of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay to lift the trophy on July 24 as between them they have claimed it on 36 occasions over the years.

However, there are some other sides that can not be discounted as the remaining seven CONMEBOL nations – Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Paraguay and Venezuela – will be joined by invitees Mexico, fresh from their CONCACAF Gold Cup success, and Costa Rica.

I will look at the chances of the three top sides and assess the prospects of my best of the rest who could upset the apple-cart over the next month.

ARGENTINA

Argentina coach Sergio Batista will have the pressure on his shoulders going into the tournament as host nation, while he will also, like most of the other coaches, have one eye on the World Cup in Brazil in 2014 as preparations begin in earnest.

The humiliating exit from the quarter-finals of last year’s World Cup in South Africa against Germany, which ended Diego Maradona’s stint in charge, will still be in the minds of the fans that are desperate for the Sky Blue and Whites to satisfy their demand for success.

And World Player of the Year Lionel Messi immediately springs to mind as the man who could deliver the goods for the Argentinians as he has already expressed a desire to transfer his scintillating performances with Barcelona onto the international stage and realise his “greatest dream” of winning the Copa America.

“We know what it means for me and for Argentina,” he added. “It is the first objective, as we are a very good group of players.”

Batista, in a bid to lessen the pressure on Messi, who will no doubt be the man the coach of every rival nation will be plotting to stop, claims he has a ‘Plan B’ if his talisman is nullified. And that could pave the way clear for Manchester City star Carlos Tevez to produce the goods following his inclusion in the squad.

A full strength Argentina (11/10 Winner)  will take some stopping on home turf and they have every chance of giving their population something to shout about this year after an 18-year wait.

BRAZIL

The holders will be looking to continue their great recent record in the Copa America (13/9 Winner) with four titles in the past five tournaments, including two successive triumphs against the Argentinians in 2004 and 2007.

Coach Mano Menezes will be looking for big things from his rejuvenated side’s emerging star in the shape of Santos’ 19-year-old Neymar, who has already attracted interest from Chelsea and Real Madrid following some sterling performances for club and country.

And, as Menezes has already admitted that his priority is to produce a side capable of winning the World Cup in their own backyard in three years’ time, he will be looking to unleash Neymar’s 21-year-old Santos team-mate Paulo Henrique Ganso on their South American rivals.

Despite the attacking midfielder struggling to shake off a knee problem of late, he will feature in the tournament and, along with Neymar, Menezes claims the duo will give Brazil “alternatives”.

Whether Brazil (2/5 Group B Winner) will take their eye off the ball in Argentina due to their World Cup obsession remains to be seen, but once the action starts they are sure to be hell-bent on securing a ninth Copa America crown.

URUGUAY

The Uruguayans (12/1 Winner) are considered a giant of South American football and the 1995 winners and 1999 finalists have enjoyed a modicum of success in recent years having reached the last-four of the Copa America in the past three tournaments.

They will come into this event on the back of last year’s impressive run to the semi-finals of the World Cup in which striker Diego Forlan was named the player of the tournament and partner Luis Suarez shone enough to subsequently engineer a January switch to Liverpool.

Ammunition to the forwards will come from Porto’s Alvaro Pereira, a relentless wide midfielder who highlights the strength in the Uruguayan ranks which means they are certain to be in the mix.

BEST OF THE REST

Mexico and Costa Rica’s chances of challenging will be hindered by their plan to use their Under-22 squads in the tournament, but there are other dark horses who could challenge the usual suspects for the title.

The 2001 winners Colombia (28/1 Winner) will hope their star man Radamel Falcao – who averaged almost a goal a game with FC Porto in the past two seasons and could be reunited with coach Andre Villas-Boas at Chelsea later this summer – will continue to fire on all cylinders.

Falcao will be joined by Porto team-mate and creative midfielder Fredy Guarin. And how well those combine in the international side could be the key to Colombia’s chances.

Chile (6/4 Group C Winner) will pin their hopes largely on the shoulders of Udinese star Alexis Sanchez, whose excellent form in Italy’s Serie A has resulted in a bidding war between Barcelona, Manchester City, Juventus Inter Milan and Manchester United for his signature.

The Chileans impressed greatly at last year’s World Cup and it would be pure folly to discount their prospects (10/1 Winner).

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Copa del Rey final preview

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Barcelona and Real Madrid drew 1-1 in La Liga on Saturday night at the Bernabeu and come head-to-head again on Wednesday to contest the Copa del Rey final at the Mestalla, before the small matter of the Champions League semi-final clash between the two Spanish giants (Match Betting – Barcelona 10/11, draw 11/4, Real Madrid 11/4).

Barca’s draw at the Bernabeu last time out was enough to all but wrap up the La Liga title for the Catalan giants and Real boss Jose Mourinho will be desperate to land the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.

The self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ has never failed to land a trophy in a complete season in management and will not want to start in his debut campaign with Los Blancos.

No Real boss has stayed in the job for the following season after failing to secure a piece of silverware for 28-years and there have already been rumours suggesting the Portuguese coach could be heading for pastures new in the summer, after failing to mount a serious challenge for the league crown.

However, Mourinho insists he is in a relaxed state of mind ahead of the showdown and expects a tight affair between the two powerhouses of Spanish football.

“This is my first final with Real Madrid, but I am relaxed,” explained Mourinho. “I have experienced many matches like this one, which is why I am a lot more calm than a coach who has never been here before.”

Barcelona defender Carles Puyol was stretchered off in the draw in Madrid on Saturday, but has been included in boss Pep Guardiola’s squad after coming through training on Tuesday.

There was speculation Real quartet Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo (5/1 to score first), Kaka and Mesut Ozil were all struggling and may miss the final, but all four have been included by Mourinho in his squad. However, both Fernando Gago and Lassana Diarra are missing with injury problems.

The tie should be an interesting affair, especially as the two sides meet in the Champions League on April 27 and May 3, but given Barcelona’s recent dominance over Real they will fancy their chances (Barcelona 9/1 to win in extra time, Real Madrid 14/1).

Guardiola had an unblemished record prior to Saturday’s draw and he still hasn’t lost a Clasico fixture since taking charge at Camp Nou, and with all his stars available, the Catalan giants may well prove too strong for their fierce rivals yet again (Half-Time/Full-Time – Barcelona/Barcelona 2/1).

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