Copa America: One Big Chance for Chile and Peru  

Peru vs Chile

The 2024 Copa America is about to explode into life as the reigning champions Argentina launch the tournament on Thursday with a Group A clash against Canada.

Then it’s Copa America: Peru vs Chile on Friday as the other two nations making up the group come face to face on Friday at the AT & T Stadium in Texas. Peru come into the game on the back of a 1-0 friendly win over El Salvador while Chile had a 3-0 triumph over Paraguay and, with World Champions Argentina in the group, they both know this is a must win game.     

The Peru vs Chile betting odds say it’s going to be a cracking clash with all three results in play; but La Roja have the edge, so let’s take a look at the men who will lead their teams into battle.    

 

Talking Points

Fossati has made Peru hard to beat

On a seven match winless run, including six defeats, the Peruvian Football Federation took decisive action last December and appointed 71 year old Jorge Fossati as their new head coach and, since then, Los Incas have won three of their four games, only conceding in a 4-1 victory over the Dominican Republic. He has work to do to repair the damage of a poor start to Peru’s World Cup qualification but in the meantime Fossati has a chance to continue his momentum in the Copa America.

The manager has picked an experienced squad for the tournament, with attacking midfielder Christian Cueva just two caps away from 100 and with 16 international goals in his locker, while winger Andre Carrillo is on 99 caps. The last line of defence, Pedro Gallese, has already reached 106 caps, while the daddy of them all, 40 year old skipper Paulo Guerrero has 39 goals in 119 appearances for Peru.

Serie A fans will know Cagliari striker Gianluca Lapadula, who scored three goals and made one assist in 28 matches last season.

It’s a well travelled side and Fossati has reminded Peru how to get results, so they will attempt to roll back the years and take the game to La Roja on Friday.               

 

Gareca meets his old friends

Chile boss Gareca is well known to Peru fans as he led Los Incas to the 2018 World Cup in Russia; their first since 1982 and to the Copa America final a year later. But now, like Fossati, he is fairly new in his current job and has won two of his three games in charge, the only defeat coming in a five goal thriller against 2022 World Cup finalists France. Either side of that loss, Chile beat Albania, who have just pushed Italy hard in the Euros, and Paraguay, both by convincing 3-0 score lines.

Gareca took over a team which just couldn’t find the net, scoring just three goals in its previous seven games, registering five blanks. So this is quite a turnaround and, with Inter’s evergreen striker Alexis Sanches in their ranks, alongside Eduardo Vargas and Ben Brereton Diaz forming a strong attacking unit, while Victor Davila, who scored twice in the win over Paraguay, is also pushing for a start.  

Midfield ace Erick Pulgar can reach 50 caps on Friday while Real Betis keeper Claudio Bravo is two caps away from 150.    

 

History

Neither Chile nor Peru are among the fancied teams to win the 2024 Copa America but they have both tasted triumph in the past, and not so long ago in La Roja’s case. Chile won back to back Copa America’s in 2015 and 2016, while you have to look back to 1975 to see Peru lift the trophy and way back to 1939 before that. 

La Roja have had the better of the head to head Peru vs Chile results with 16 wins to six in all competitions, and they beat the Bicolor in a World Cup qualifying game last year. Goals from Diego Valdez and Marcos Lopez gave Chile a 2-0 victory; but both teams are currently outside the qualifying places in the table, Chile in eighth and Peru in tenth.

The last time they met in the Copa America Los Incas beat Chile 3-0 in the 2019 semi-finals to end La Roja’s hopes of making it three titles on the bounce; before losing to Brazil in the final.     

Peru have the better recent form with three wins and two draws from the last five games while Chile have won two, drawn one and lost two.  

 

Betting Tip

Peru are 32^nd in the FIFA World Rankings, ten places above Chile, but are outsiders for this game at SBOTOP odds of 3.40 with the draw a little shorter at 2.85.

Both managers have improved their team’s form but I think Chile’s last outing was more convincing and they will enter this game with confidence. La Roja have only lost one match since 2020 when scoring first, the defeat to France this year; and Chile to win 1-0 is the most likely outcome at 5.12.  

   

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