The second set of matches in the Copa America get underway on Tuesday night when the four teams in Group A are back out in action and the first game of the two on the evening sees Bolivia and Peru going in search of a first win of the tournament.
Peru go into the match in the better position of the two after a draw in their opening match. Bolivia were beaten by Brazil but at least they got their toughest test on paper out of the way but they still need a result from this Maracana Stadium clash.
Bolivia
Bolivia went into the tournament ranked the lowest among the South American contingent and although they were playing Brazil in that first match we saw exactly why. They were gun shy when they had the chance to attack and they were exposed all too regularly at the back. That they managed to hold on until half time with the score still goalless was down to their opposition than it was them.
You’ve got to think there is more to come from Bolivia just because of how poor they were in that opening match, but with the pressure on it remains to be seen whether it will come out here. They may not be under the scrutiny at the back that they were against Brazil so the question will be whether they can offer anything in attack that allows them to get numbers forward and push for a goal. It is now four matches without a win for Bolivia.
Peru
You could tell that neither Peru nor Venezuela wanted to lose their opening match in the tournament over the weekend and one of the reasons for that was both knew they had this fixture to come. Given that they drew that game, the pressure is now on Peru to take advantage of this contest and make sure they win it. If they do that then they will be safely into the knockout stages with a match to go.
Peru looked stable enough defensively but they lacked cohesion when they went forward. They will need to hope that they have come on for the run, and if they have they would appear to have every chance of coming out on top here. Any win will do the Peruvians in terms of putting them into the next round but a convincing one would set them up nicely for the battles ahead.
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Team News
Bolivia may need to get more support up to Marcelo Martins which could see Gilbert Alvarez come into a more advanced role. It is likely that Bolivia are unlikely to make too many changes as they seek their first point in the tournament.
Peru left out Andre Carrillo in their opening match but he could come into the side as they look to be a little more expansive in a match which in truth they have to win given that they face Brazil in their last group match.
Betting
I don’t see anything but a Peru win here but they are rarely the most convincing of sides in tournament play so I’m looking for a punt on them that includes a 1-0 scoreline which rules out the handicaps. At the same time I accept that this is the sort of match that they could overwhelm their opposition and fill their boots so picking the right bet isn’t necessarily easy.
With that in mind, I’m going to go with Peru to win to nil. If they concede in this match Bolivia might pack the defence and make life extremely tricky so there is every chance they don’t win the game anyway so rather than take short prices on them to win or risking getting a push or half loss on a handicap I’ll go with them to win to nil. Bolivia haven’t scored in their last four matches and looked very poor in the first game. Odds against on Peru to win without conceding is perfectly attractive to me.
Tips
Back Peru to win to nil for a 4/10 stake at 2.15 with Boylesports
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