2015 Copa America Betting – Peru vs. Bolivia

Peru (-105) vs. Bolivia (+375), Draw (+229)

Even though there are only 12 teams in the Copa America, no script had either Peru or Bolivia reaching the final four. But with the two tiny nations squaring off in the quarterfinals (Thursday, June 24, at German Backer Stadium in Chile at 7:30 PM Eastern), one is assured a spot in the semifinals.

Bolivia was thrashed by Chile (5-0) in their last outing, but advanced to the knockout stage on the strength of a win over Ecuador (3-2) and a draw against Mexico (0-0).  The Bolivians are the longest shots of the teams remaining to win the tournament, listed at +8000. But manager Mauricio Soria sees his team’s inconsistent performances and underdog reputation as a kind of leg up.

“Our remaining rivals will have doubts about us now. They will not know if Bolivia are as good as those previous games or this one. We will just keep doing what this team normally does”, Soria said in a press conference.

Peru advanced to the quarterfinals by finishing second in Group B. They lost to Brazil (2-1), beat Venezuela (1-0), and drew Colombia (0-0) in the round robin portion. Like Bolivia, they have long odds to win the tournament, currently sitting at +2800. (Only Paraguay and Bolivia have worse odds.) But they come into their quarterfinal matchup as favorites to advance, and manager Ricardo Gareca believes the best is yet to come from his squad.

“I feel that we have the potential and the guys know, from there we can go better. We are convinced that we will grow”, Gareca told reporters after learning his team qualified for the second round.

These two teams have been very evenly matched in recent history, drawing the last four times they have played. But a draw won’t be an option tomorrow. Given that Peru has a more experienced team and boasts talent up front with Bundesliga players Jefferson Farfan and Claudio Pizarro, taking the favored Peruvians looks like the best value.

Pick: Peru (-105).

(Photo credit: By Johann Cárdenas (Fotografía subida a Flickr: [1]) [Attribution], via Wikimedia Commons. Photo has been cropped.)