Colombia vs Qatar
One of the early favourites is in action again on Wednesday at the Estadio Cicero Pompeu in Sau Paulo, it’s Copa America Colombia vs Qatar!
Carlos Queiroz’s Colombia has made the early tournament headlines, beating Argentina, Lionel Messi and all, and now they come up against the tournament newcomers from Qatar. And the Asian invitees have made their own waves, defying all expectation by coming back from 2-0 down to earn a point against Paraguay.
Colombia is a different prospect altogether though, genuine contenders for the title and with a team packed with experience and quality.
Talking Points
Colombia’s Italian Connection
Beating Argentina was no fluke for Carlos Queiroz, he set his team up to soak up the pressure from Lionel Messi and his colleagues, and then hit them twice, striking like a snake which has watched and waited for its moment. Argentina looked like turning the screw when a momentary lapse in concentration allowed Colombia to break at speed and score, with less than 20 minutes left on the clock.
Keep a close watch on the Copa America SBOBET odds; Colombia is going to be right up there in the action. And if they do go all the way, then they will have an Italian connection to thank with a team strengthened by a Serie A backbone, and that will always be difficult to beat.
Duvan Zapata scored the second goal against Argentina, and that killer punch followed an exceptional season for the striker at Atalanta, where he ended up second in the race for the Capocannoniere with 23 goals and seven assists. Alongside Zapata, Colombia has Juventus wide man Juan Cuadrado in its ranks and he can be a match for any wing back.
Milan’s Cristian Zapata is in the defensive line-up and with David Ospina in goal, Colombia’s last line of defence is an experienced campaigner. The Napoli stopper has 98 caps and, before arriving in Italy had a long spell at Arsenal in the Premier League.
The only absentee for Colombia is Brighton winger Jose Izquierdo.
Qatar looks to Ali for inspiration
Not many people gave Qatar much hope of collecting many, if any, points in their South American adventure but they fought back with true spirit to earn a point against Paraguay.
There’s little doubt that the Colombia vs Qatar highlights package might look like an attack versus defence training session, but the underdogs do have one attacking threat Queiroz will warn his players about.
Qatar head coach Felix Sanchez was delighted with his side’s comeback and knows he has a player of real quality in his ranks. Almoez Ali is a star in the making in this tournament. Still, only 22 years old the striker scored a record nine goals in the Asian Cup and he hit an absolute beauty to haul Qatar back into the game against Paraguay, a curling effort from just outside the penalty area. They snatched a late point with a lucky equaliser but it was Ali’s inspiration which set them on their way.
And Sanchez’s side could have scored more, had Hassan Al Haydos converted a glorious chance from a cross by Abdelkarim Hassan.
History
Colombia has an impressive track record and is in good form. Queiroz’ team pushed England all the way in the Round of 16 of the 2018 World Cup, losing on penalties after centre back Yerry Mina had equalised Harry Kane’s opener. They went one step further, reaching the quarterfinals in 2014 and were Copa America champions in 2001.
And the favourites come into this clash having won five from six.
Qatar has never played at a World Cup finals, failing to qualify for Russia 2018, but the country is hosting the World Cup in 2022. Sanchez’s team won its first trophy this year, taking the Asian Cup by storm, fired by the goals of Ali, beating Japan in the final and conceding just one goal throughout the competition.
So where does that leave us with the latest Colombia vs Qatar betting odds?
Betting Tip
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Colombia vs Qatar | Colombia First Half 1X2 @ 1.91 |
| June 20, 05:30 (GMT+8) |
Colombia is one of the tournament favourites and strongly fancied to win this game at odds of 1.36. Qatar is at 8.00 and the draw is 4.50, and that would be another amazing result for Sanchez.
But his team went two goals down against Paraguay pretty quickly, and they now face a side packed with European league quality and a striker in fantastic form in Zapata. Queiroz’s team has momentum after a stunning opening win and will be determined to keep it going.
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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