Canada vs Chile
With two wins in their first two games, Argentina are one of the teams to advance to the Copa America Round of 16, and Canada could follow suit as soon as Saturday night.
The Maple Leafs are the second team in Group A to have recorded a win in the competition, and they will aim for their second straight against Chile at the Inter & Co. Stadium in Orlando.
Jesse Marsch’s side is fresh from beating Peru. On the other hand, Ricardo Gareca’s La Roja have yet to break their duck and are desperate to finally get one to keep their hopes alive.
Canada only need a draw, so it is basically win or go home time for Chile, although it is fascinating that the pre-game SBOTOP betting odds like their chances to finally get the positive result that they need this weekend.
Talking Points
David gives Canada a shot in the arm
Pressure was mounting for Canada after losing to Argentina in the opener, so kudos to them for bouncing back against Peru, although they had a stroke of luck.
After a goalless first half, the game took an unexpected turn when Miguel Araujo was given his marching orders near the hour mark, leaving Peru with a man short for the remainder of the contest following a reckless tackle on Jacob Shaffelburg.
Canada fould breakthrough in the 74th minute, as Cyle Larin launched a long pass to Jacob Shaffelburg, who found a cutting Jonathan David for a cool finish near the penalty spot. David’s 26th goal for Canada not only secured the win but also ended the Maple Leafs’ barren run after 391 minutes.
We would be remiss if we didn’t give a shoutout to goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, who could make a case for being the Man of the Match for Canada after another solid shift between the sticks, including a crucial save of Piero Quispe’s attempt during stoppage time when Peru were desperate for an equaliser.
Crepeau also deserves credit for having the awareness to call the attention of the medical staff after assistant referee Humberto Panjoj collapsed due to the hot and humid conditions in Kansas City.
Chile must make this one lineup change
In their 1-0 defeat against Argentina, Chile started Eduardo Vargas, Alexis Sanchez, Victor Davila, and Dario Osorio to lead their frontline, but they only had three total shots compared to La Albiceleste’s 22.
Chile will not make it to the Round of 16 if they don’t solve their goalscoring issues on Saturday, as Ricardo Gareca’s side hasn’t scored a single goal so far in this tournament.
It doesn’t help them, either, that former stars Arturo Vidal and Gary Medel are no longer around.
La Roja should consider bringing Ben Brereton Diaz into the starting XI against Canada, as he is one of their most talented forwards on the roster.
Diaz, after all, was Sheffield United’s Player of the Season after leading them in scoring with six goals despite only arriving on loan in January.
History
Canada and Chile will meet for the fifth time ever on Saturday. Before this match, Chile had recorded two wins, one loss, and one draw against their North American counterparts.
Their last matchup was an international friendly game in October 1995, when Chile came away with a 2-0 win, as Sebastian Rozental and Marcelo Salas found the back of the net in the second half.
Canada’s 1-0 win against Peru was their first victory against a South American opponent in 24 years, which is a significant achievement. Before this, their last such win was a 2-0 result over Colombia in the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup final.
Also, it was their first victory with Jesse Marsch as their head coach, who was appointed in May.
Betting Tip
As mentioned, the Copa America 2024 odds are slightly in favour of Chile winning. La Roja are valued at 2.14 to win, whereas Canada are at 3.34, and a draw is at 2.98 odds in the 1X2 market.
However, we believe that Canada will pull this one out because they simply are the better team, and they can do it by creating new Copa America 2024 highlights against Chile.
On Saturday, we should see Canada and Chile find the back of the net. So, other than our recommended bet above, alternatives like Over 2.25 at 2.06, Over 2.50 at 2.38, Total Goal 2-3 at 1.90, and even Total Goal 4-6 at 4.28 are all worth considering.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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