Uruguay vs Colombia Odds & Prediction – Copa America Quarterfinals July 3
- Uruguay and Colombia lock horns in the Copa America quarterfinals on Saturday, July 3rd
- The Uruguayans enter as a slim +128 favorite in this fixture
- Get the odds, preview, and pick below
The Copa America quarterfinals are finally upon us after a thrilling group stage. Aside from a meeting between Argentina and Ecuador, Uruguay will face Colombia on Saturday with a spot in the semifinals on the line.
La Celeste has won this competition a record 15 times but hasn’t captured the ultimate prize since 2011. They’ve also had nothing but success against Colombia in recent memory, winning twice and drawing once.
Uruguay vs Colombia Odds
| Matchup | Spread at DraftKings | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uruguay vs Colombia | URU pk (-177) | COL pk (+145) | URU +128 | COL +250 | DRAW +205 | Ov 2.5 (+165) | Un 2.5 (-210) |
All odds as of July 2nd.
Uruguay in Good Form
Oscar Tabarez’s side didn’t get off to the best start in Group A to begin the Copa America tournament, suffering a 1-0 defeat to powerhouse Argentina, then playing to a 1-1 draw with Chile in their second game. That result almost ended in another loss until Luis Suarez drew his country level to salvage a point.
However, Uruguay responded in their final two matches with back-to-back wins over Bolivia and Paraguay, while collecting clean sheets in both. Manchester United hitman Edinson Cavani has scored twice in the competition already, including their lone goal from the spot against the Paraguayans in their final group phase fixture.
While the Uruguayans did finish as runners-up behind Argentina with seven points in the pod, they’ve yet to really hit their stride. Goals have been few and far between considering the attacking prowess that Uruguay has. This quarterfinal encounter with Colombia will be no easy task, but it’s a team that La Celeste has played extremely well against.
Edinson Cavani savouring the moment during Uruguay's training session in Brasilia
This will be el Matador's final Copa America pic.twitter.com/KztPyd65yT
— Uruguay Football ENG (@UruguayFootENG) July 3, 2021
Centre-back Diego Godin limped off at halftime against Paraguay, but he should be fit enough to anchor the backline on Saturday. As for Suarez, he’ll most likely feature alongside Cavani up top after coming on as a substitute in their last game.
James Rodriguez Creativity is Missed
To the surprise of almost everyone, Colombia boss Reinaldo Rueda left James Rodriguez off the squad for Copa America. Well, his creativity and playmaking abilities have been sorely missed.
La Tricolor have scored just three goals in four matches while going 1-1-2 in the group stage. They barely squeaked through to the quarterfinals with only four points to show for their efforts. While the campaign started off relatively decent with a win over Ecuador and a draw against Venezuela, consecutive defeats to Peru then Brazil were disappointing.
Luis Diaz put Colombia ahead versus the high-flying Brazilians early in the first half with a stunner, but Liverpool star Roberto Firmino equalized late in the second half for Brazil. With a point looking to be in reach, the Colombians had their hearts shattered when Casemiro bagged a winner in the 10th minute of injury time.
Nevertheless, Rueda’s side is still in the knockout stages with a point to prove. Despite having numerous attacking options like Atalanta stars Duvan Zapata and Luis Muriel, Colombia has really lacked a spark in the final third. This comes back to James not being on the team because they frankly don’t have that player who can thread a final pass into dangerous areas like the former Real Madrid midfielder.
📸 ¡Última práctica antes de los Cuartos de Final 🆚 🇺🇾! 👊#VamosColombia 🇨🇴 pic.twitter.com/bGttln9FTE
— Selección Colombia (@FCFSeleccionCol) July 2, 2021
However, the Colombians have deployed Zapata and Muriel together as a strike duo just once in the tournament thus far. Considering they combined to score 37 goals and tally 19 assists in Serie A last term, this could be the time for Rueda to retreat back to this pairing with the hope of brilliance.
Uruguay vs Colombia Key Stats
| 2-1-1 (2nd in Group A) | Standing in Group Stage | 1-1-2 (3rd in Group B) |
| 4 | Goals Scored | 3 |
| 2 | Goals Conceded | 4 |
| 12.2 | Shots Per Game | 8.5 |
| 4.2 | Shots on Target Per Match | 4 |
Uruguay vs Colombia Prediction
The Uruguayans will likely just get better from this point on, but I don’t think it’s going to be an easy path to the semifinals here. While Colombia has been in poor form, there is clear quality in this squad that is capable of stepping up on the big stage.
Nonetheless, Uruguay’s frontline of Suarez and Cavani is still extremely talented, despite their age. I expect them to cause some problems for the Colombians, but it will be a tight one. Take Uruguay to pull out a slim one-goal victory, with the over in goals being hit as well.
Pick: Uruguay to Win by 1 (+275), Over 2.5 Goals (+165), Edinson Cavani to Score (+240)
Quinn Allen is a sports journalist, with a background and education in broadcast journalism (BCIT '17). He is a full-time associate editor at ClutchPoints by day, where he writes about soccer, baseball, basketball, football, and more. At night, Quinn is a frequent contributor at SBD.
