COPA AMERICA FRIDAY BETTING TIPS
11pm: Colombia v Costa Rica
Under 2.5 Goals
Colombia to have Six or More Shots On Target
2am Saturday: Paraguay v Brazil
Brazil -1
Vinicius Jr. to Score
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Friday, June 27: 11pm – Colombia v Costa Rica
Copa America 2024 Group D match – University of Phoenix Stadium, Arizona
TV: Premier Sports 1
Under 2.5 Goals
Costa Rica battled to an extremely credible draw against Brazil in their opening game of the Copa America. They unsurprisingly showed very little attacking intent as they held their formidable opponents to a scoreless draw.
They recorded just two shots and no efforts on target in that opening-day draw and are unlikely to be much more adventurous against a Colombia side that are quite clearly the second-best side in Group D.
It is unlikely that Costa Rica will score on Friday night, with their best chance of progression probably resting on another 0-0 draw followed by a win over Paraguay in their final group game.
Colombia, meanwhile, were well worth their 2-1 win over Paraguay in that opening game and are heavy favourites to make it two wins out of two against Costa Rica.
They should keep a clean sheet against such a defensive-minded side, so this bet boils down to whether they can score three goals or more.
Costa Rica showed against Brazil that they are resolute at the back and should at least be capable of keeping the score down.
Colombia to have 6 or more shots on target
Colombia will dominate pretty much every statistic worth dominating on Friday night. That much is certain.
Colombia enjoyed 68% of the ball in their win over Paraguay, while Costa Rica recorded just 26% possession in their draw with Brazil.
They also faced 19 shots in that draw and will almost certainly pack the defensive in a bid to frustrate their Colombian opponents.
Almost all of the game will be played in the Costa Rican half and there is every chance that Colombia registered at least six shots on target.
Saturday, June 28: 2am – Paraguay v Brazil
Copa America 2024 Group D match – Allegiant Stadium, Nevada
TV: Premier Sports 1
Brazil -1
Brazil’s Copa America campaign got off to an underwhelming start against Costa Rica. But it is not unusual for one of the favourites of an international tournament to have a blip in the group stages before coming good – ask Spain in 2010 and Argentina in 2022 among many others.
That opening-day draw bodes particularly badly for Paraguay, with Brazil now likely in need of a win this time around to keep their hopes of topping Group D alive.
They should do so with considerable comfort against a Paraguay side that has won just two of the 10 games they have played in the last 12 months – with those wins coming against Panama (in a pre-tournament friendly) and Bolivia.
This could be an opportunity for Brazil to kick their Copa America campaign into life and put a run of awful recent form to bed.
The five-time world champions have lost their last three World Cup qualifiers and were held to a draw in a pre-tournament friendly against the US.
This is an opportunity for them to put that behind them.
Vinicius Jr. to Score
Brazil have struggled to get the best out of Vinicius Jr. throughout his young career, with the Real Madrid winger scoring just three goals in 31 appearances for his country.
He is, however, coming off the back of an exceptional club season that saw him score 24 times in 39 appearances for Real Madrid, including a goal in the Champions League final and two goals in Madrid’s semi-final against Bayern Munich.
He now needs to step up for his country if he is to take the next step and establish himself as the best of the upcoming generation, especially in the absence of Brazil’s all-time leading goalscorer Neymar.
A goal against Paraguay could help kickstart his international career – and Brazil’s Copa America campaign.
COPA AMERICA FRIDAY BETTING TIPS
11pm: Colombia v Costa Rica
Under 2.5 Goals
Colombia to have Six or More Shots On Target
2am Saturday: Paraguay v Brazil
Brazil -1
Vinicius Jr. to Score
- A Bet Builder with these selections pays at approximately 14/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD TO YOUR BETSLIP.
All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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