It’s quite clear who the top contenders are heading into the 2019 Copa America. Hosts Brazil and Argentina have the immense star power, while Uruguay, Colombia, and Chile also possess the quality to go on and potentially lift the cup.
However, strange things often happen during knockout tournaments as unsuspecting teams can spring major surprises. This year’s Copa America will likely be no different, with the only question being, “Which team/s will do the surprising?”
To answer that question, let’s take an in-depth look at three underdog sides who are strong candidates to defy Copa America 2019 betting odds during the tournament.
Peru
Peru are no strangers to pulling off surprises at the Copa. Just take the Copa America Centenario for instance, as they defeated Brazil in the final group game to top their group — and knock the Brazilians out of the tournament.
Coincidentally, they’ve been grouped with Brazil once again in what should be one of the key match-ups of this year’s group stage.
Peru didn’t quite make it to the semi-finals in 2016 as they lost on penalties to Colombia in the quarters. If they had gone through, it would’ve been the third Copa in a row where they had reached the final four, which would be quite an achievement.
Veteran striker Paolo Guerrero has been integral to their success over those previous tournaments; he’s finished as the top goal scorer in two of the last three Copa Americas.
But he’s now 35 years of age, while fellow star forward Jefferson Farfan is 34. It remains to be seen if Peru can produce enough goals if those two aren’t quite at their best anymore.
Although, the squad as a whole did perform admirably during last year’s World Cup. They even gave eventual champions France a tough game, which Peru narrowly lost 1-0 during the group stage.
SBOBET odds may only have Peru priced at 20.00 to win the tournament, but their track record at the Copa speaks for itself. As such, Brazil and other teams better be wary of the threat the Peruvians present.
Venezuela
Venezuela’s history at the Copa America is not great. From 1975-2004, they didn’t even so much as pick up a single win in the competition.
Finally, though, things began to pick up when they hosted the competition in 2007 and went on to reach the quarter-finals. They did one better by reaching the semis in the next Copa in 2011 and again made the quarters of the Copa America Centenario.
This year, Venezuela could be primed for another deep run, in large part because of their talented forward line.
Veteran striker Salomon Rondon is coming off a successful season with Newcastle United in the Premier League, where he scored 11 goals. Meanwhile, striker partner Josef Martinez — who had 35 goals in 2018 with Atlanta United in MLS — remains in fine form this year.
Rondon and Martinez were both on target in Venezuela’s 3-1 friendly win over Argentina, which spoiled Lionel Messi’s return to international football after his hiatus.
Venezuela could have even more firepower if manager Rafael Dudamel decides to include exciting teenagers Samuel Sosa and Jan Carlos Hurtado in his 23-man squad.
But with the prolific Rondon-Martinez partnership in tow, Venezuela are more than capable of springing a potential upset in the tournament.
Japan
One of two guest teams in this year’s competition along with Qatar, Japan are using the Copa America to prepare for next year’s Olympic tournament to be held in Tokyo.
As such, manager Hajime Moriyasu has made Copa America 2019 news by naming a very young squad, with big-name veterans like Keisuke Honda, Maya Yoshida, Shinji Kagawa, and Yuto Nagatomo not included in their 23-man squad.
Seventeen of the 23 members of Japan’s squad are uncapped, while only four have 10 or more caps. But while the Samurai Blue don’t have the strongest nor most experienced squad, they should still be a formidable foe to go up against.
Moriyasu did include experienced striker Shinji Okazaki, as well as midfielder Shoya Nakajima, who recently became the most expensive Japanese player of all-time with his move to Qatar’s Al-Duhail. Those two will be tasked to carry a brunt of the attacking burden for the team.
They also have 17-year-old Takefusa Kubo, who has been touted as the Japanese Lionel Messi. If Japan progress to the knockout stage, there’s a chance Kubo could go up against the actual Messi and Argentina.
Japan are in Group C along with Uruguay and two-time defending champions Chile. But while that group looks tough on paper, both Uruguay and Chile possess ageing squads that could be susceptible to a younger, hungrier team — just like Japan.
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