2015 Copa America Betting – Chile vs. Bolivia

Chile (-300) vs. Bolivia (+1100), Draw (+450)

Chile and Bolivia are currently tied atop Group A with four points each (1-1-0) through two matches. But a dangerous Mexico squad (0-2-0, 2 pts) is lurking in third, making it imperative for both sides to pick up at least a point from their match tonight at the Chile National Stadium in Santiago (7:30 PM Eastern).

Fortunately for both sides, by the time they meet, they will know the result of the game between Mexico and Ecuador, the latter of whom has yet to pick up a point in the tournament, and it will be abundantly clear what each needs to do to finish in the top-two of the group and automatically qualify for the knockout stage.

The host Chileans looked solid – if not spectacular – against Ecuador in their opening match, emerging with a 2-0 win. The offense continued to impress against Mexico in a 3-3 draw, though the defense left a lot to be desired. The team entered the tournament at 4/1 to win the Copa America at home, but after two outings, they haven’t showed the form to be considered a real threat to the likes of Argentina and Colombia.

In addition to the pressure of playing at home, the team has had to deal with off-field distractions. During the week, midfielder Arturo Vidal crashed his Ferrari and was found guilty of DUI, but coach Jorge Sampaoli refused to remove him from the roster.

“He made a mistake, which is not so serious to exclude him,” said Sampaoli in a news conference. “I don’t think that we should exclude someone for making a mistake.”

Bolivia, on the other hand, drew against Mexico (0-0) and then held on to top Ecuador 3-2 after building up a 3-0 lead. Bolivia’s current status at the top of Group A comes as something of a surprise. Entering the tourney, the team had the second longest odds to win at 200/1 (only behind Jamaica); but after two impressive showings, they have vaulted all the way to 66/1.

Unfortunately for the upstart Bolivians, the team has been dominated by their coastal rivals, going 0-2-6 in their last eight against Chile. Bolivia’s last win in the series came all the way back in 2002. With Chile playing on home soil, that trend should continue tonight.

Pick: Chile (-300). 

(Photo credit: Fanny Schertzer (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Photo has been cropped.)