The road to the Copa America Finals has begun! We’re heading to the quarterfinals, and it’s still quite clear that South American soccer (CONMEBOL) is much better than North and Central American soccer (CONCACAF).
The only two CONCACAF teams that made it to the quarterfinals are Canada and Panama, as the United States and Mexico bowed out.
Let’s take a look at the match schedule for the quarterfinals as well as three possible showdowns for the finals as you consider your sports betting for this intercontinental event that Xbet.ag offers for you.
Copa America Betting Odds: Finals Scenarios | Soccer Odds
Brazil vs Argentina
The most likely matchup, based on these odds. These are the top two teams in CONMEBOL, and their rivalry has been described by FIFA as the “essence of football rivalry.”
Depending on which source you look at, they have met between 105 and 111 times since September 20, 1914, when Argentina prevailed, 3-0, in a friendly.
Argentina also has the biggest win in their rivalry, a 6-1 pasting at the Roca Cup in 1940.
They dominated the early years of the rivalry and of the Copa America, beating Brazil seven times in Copa America finals.
Brazil would not beat Argentina in a Copa final until 2004.
^Brazil vs Uruguay
For Brazil to get to this final, though, they have to get through Uruguay first. Uruguay rolled through Group C, beating Panama, Bolivia and the United States.
Brazilians use a physical approach to wear their opponents down, but their attack is also fast and well-coordinated.
They did lose Manual Ugarte, Matias Vina and Max Araujo to injuries in their group play finale against the United States, which means that Luis Suarez could come in as a substitute earlier, and Darwin Nunez should keep his leadership role on the line.
For Brazil, the suspension of Vinicius Jr is a significant problem.
Brazil have only used Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli for seven minutes in this tournament, so he could get a start, or they could push Endrick up top and move Rodrygo out to the left side.
Raphinha is having a solid tournament so far and should continue to lead the counterattack.
I plan on picking Uruguay to win this game, but you can’t really discuss possible final scenarios without including Brazil.
^Argentina vs Ecuador
Argentina has an easier quarterfinal matchup as they take on Ecuador, the runners-up from Group B.
They drew Mexico, 0-0, to advance to the quarterfinals. Argentina won Group A and dispatched Peru easily, 2-0. They have met Ecuador 40 times, winning 24. Ecuador, have only won five times, with the other 11 ending in draws.
Messi’s team has a seven-match unbeaten streak in this rivalry; the last time Ecuador prevailed was back in 2015. Lionel Messi has scored seven goals against Ecuador; the only other country he has victimized more is Bolivia (8).
He rested in Argentina’s win over Peru to get ready for the quarterfinals. Lautaro Martinez already has four goals for Argentina in this tournament, and he is already in third place among Argentine scorers in a single Copa America.
I’ve picked Argentina to win this match.
^Uruguay vs Argentina
Another intriguing matchup. Uruguay is the third betting choice to win this tournament, and only permitted one goal in group play (against Panama).
Against the United States, Uruguay held off a spirited attack early and then benefited from a non-call on an offside to get the only goal of the match.
The hot offense that Uruguay has going right now makes them a real danger to advance. While Uruguay do not have as many World Cup titles as Brazil or Argentina, they have won the Copa 15 times, tied for first with Argentina.
They haven’t won since 2011, but they also have six second-place and nine third-place finishes.
No two national teams have met more often than Argentina and Uruguay, with 189 official matches in the books since the first one on July 20, 1902, the first international match played anywhere other than the United Kingdom.
Argentinians won that one, 6-0. This rivalry is known as the Clasico del Rio de la Plata. They last met in a World Cup qualifier back in November, and Uruguay prevailed, 2-0.
Argentina has 88 wins in the official rivalry; Uruguay has 51, with the other 46 ending in draws.
^Colombia vs Venezuela
Do you want a sleeper of a final? They’ve only met 27 times since their first showdown in 1938, with Colombia winning 27 times, Venezuela winning seven times, and 17 matches ending in draws.
Colombia open their quarterfinals with Panama, who benefited from poor play by the United States to get second in their group.
They were able to beat the United States, 2-1, after Tim Weah took an unwise red card early in their match, and they dominated Bolivia in their showdown.
What about Colombia?
However, Colombia has the likes of Luis Diaz (eight goals, five assists for Liverpool in 37 Premier League matches last season) and Jhon Jader Duran (five goals in 28 Premier League matches with Aston Villa.
Jhon Arias had seven goals and six assists in 30 matches for Fluminense FC RJ in the Brasileiro, and Miguel Angel Borja had five goals and one assist in 26 matches for CA River Plate in Argentina’s first division.
Panama has one first-division Europe-based player, Michael Murillo, who plays for Olympique Marseille in Ligue 1 and posted three goals and two assists in 19 matches. That difference in talent level should prove decisive.
What about Venezuela?
Venezuela open with Canada, a surprise quarter finalist after they drew Chile in their last group play match. Venezuela won all three of their group play matches, edging Ecuador, 2-1, and Mexico, 1-0, before routing Jamaica, 3-0.
That +5 goal differential was surprisingly high. Canada opened group play with a 2-0 loss to Argentina. However, they beat Peru, 1-0, for their first win over a CONMEBOL team since 2001.
It did help that Canada saw both Peru and Chile get red cards and go down a man; that led to the lone goal against Peru, although Canada could not score with the man advantage against Chile.
It’s unlikely that they will see an opponent shown a straight red in a third consecutive match, so they have to find a way to score against Venezuela – who only allowed one goal during group play.
So while both Venezuela and Colombia are likely to get to the semifinals, finding their way to the final likely means wins over Brazil (or Uruguay) and Argentina along the way.
Obviously, anything can happen, but if you’re looking for a “sleeper” of a final’s matchup, this isn’t a bad bet.
^Updated Odds to Win Copa America
- Argentina +120
- Brazil +330
- Uruguay +550
- Colombia +600
- Venezuela +2500
- Ecuador +2800
- Canada +4000
- Panama +10000
Copa America Schedule
Quarterfinals
Thursday, July 4
Argentina vs Ecuador (9:00 pm ET)
Friday, July 5
Venezuela vs Canada (9:00 pm ET)
Saturday, July 6
Colombia vs Panama (6:00 pm ET)
Uruguay vs Brazil (9:00 pm ET)
Semifinals
Tuesday, July 9
Argentina-Ecuador winner vs Venezuela-Canada winner (8:00 pm ET)
Wednesday, July 10
Colombia-Panama winner vs Uruguay-Brazil winner (8:00 pm ET)
Copa America Finals
Sunday, July 14 (8:00 pm ET)
^Copa America Finalists Odds
- Argentina Vs Brazil +250
- Argentina Vs Uruguay +300
- Argentina Vs Colombia +300
- Brazil Vs Venezuela +1500
- Brazil Vs Ecuador +2000
- Uruguay Vs Venezuela +2000
- Brazil Vs Canada +2000
- Colombia Vs Venezuela +2200
- Ecuador Vs Uruguay +2500
- Canada Vs Uruguay +2500
- Colombia Vs Ecuador +2800
- Argentina Vs Panama +2800
- Canada Vs Colombia +2800
We present to you, the @pumafootball Team of the Week for Round 3 🌟 pic.twitter.com/B8Vp6NYVCZ
— CONMEBOL Copa América™️ ENG (@copaamerica_ENG) July 3, 2024
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