Uruguay vs Colombia
The scene is set for the Copa America quarter-final.
The 2011 winners against the 2001 champions.
Copa America highlights are widely expected in the Estádio Nacional de Brasília between two nations keen to get back on the top step in South American football once more.
The nation ranked ninth best in the world against fellow compatriots rated 15th.
On form, it would seem a straightforward result.
Uruguay have won all their games since opening the tournament with a narrow defeat against Argentina and rounded off the group stage with a narrow victory over Paraguay which helped them leapfrog their opponents in Group A.
A recent draw with Argentina in World Cup qualifying, however, shows Reinaldo Rueda’s men can be tricky opponents for the best of them.
They were only a penalty shoot-out away from knocking England out of the last World Cup too.
It’s all to play for on Saturday night.
Talking Points
Juan Cuadrado is suspended for Colombia and that is a problem for a nation whose major issue seems to be a lack of cutting edge in attack.
The duo which spearheads their frontline, Luis Muriel and Duvan Zapata, are still without a goal in the tournament and now come up against opponents who feature the impressive Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez at centre-back.
To make matters worse, Colombia have also been far from unconvincing at the back, conceding four goals in their last two matches.
While Rueda has much to ponder, Oscar Tabarez’s men head into the clash off the back of two straight victories. They won 2-0 against Bolivia before seeing off Paraguay 1-0 in their final fixture in the group phase.
While the Uruguayans have not been particularly exciting going forward, they always have a chance with two world class finishers – Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez.
When you look at it, Colombia’s Copa America has been the exact opposite to Uruguay so far in that they have slowly got worse as the group stage progressed. Indeed, they are without a win since claiming a 1-0 victory over Ecuador in their opening fixture and ended the group stages with back-to-back defeats. They were beaten 2-1 by Peru before suffering a similar defeat to Brazil in their final round-robin fixture.
What is the chance of a quarter-final surprise I hear you ask. Well, in cup competitions, never rule it out of the equation.
History
It was in 1925 when these two nations first locked horns and it resulted in the biggest ever winning margin between them.
Uruguay, in fact, won the contest 7-0, helped enormously by five goals inside the final quarter of an hour in a group stage match of the Copa.
They recently met in qualifying for next year’s World Cup and it was a one-sided encounter as Uruguay triumphed 3-0, thanks to goals from Cavani, Suarez and Darwin Nunez.
Colombia have only tasted victory twice in their last 12 meetings but one of those successes came in the most important meeting.
It was a last-16 tie in the 2014 World Cup when Colombia won 2–0 with both goals from James Rodríguez.
The first is fondly remembered as he delivered a volley from 25 yards out with the ball going in off the underside of the crossbar, which won the 2014 FIFA Puskás Award.
The second goal was a close-range shot from six yards out as Colombia progressed through to the quarter-finals for the first time in their history – bowing out to hosts Brazil in a penalty shoot-out.
Overall, Uruguay have tasted victory on 20 occasions; Colombia have 13 victories and there have been nine draws.
Betting Tip
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Uruguay vs Colombia | 1X2 Uruguay @ 2.29 |
| July 4, 06:00 (GMT+8) |
For those who have a sneak for Colombia to turn the form back on its head, you can get 1X2 odds @ 3.30.
The draw is also on offer at an attractive @ 2.93.
Asian Handicap odds also favour La Celeste -0.25 @ 2.05 with Colombia 0.00 @ 2.38.
First Half Asian Handicap Uruguay -0.25 @ 2.47 appeals.
In many ways, some pressure could build on Uruguay if they fall behind but they remain clear favourites.
As for goals, over 2.00 will pay out @ 2.00, total goal 0-1 @ 2.32, 2-3 @ 1.96 and 4-6 @ 5.80.
A re-run of their last meeting, correct score 3-0, would earn a pay day @ 32.00, whereas a 2-0 Colombia success, just as we saw at the 2014 World Cup, is available @ 18.00.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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