Bolivia vs Peru Copa America Betting Odds, Prediction, and Pick

Bolivia and Peru face-off on June 18th at the 2019 Copa America tournament.

Bolivia and Peru are bracketed in Group A along with tournament favorites and hosts Brazil and Venezuela. Bolivia takes on Brazil in their tournament opener while Peru will face Venezuela to open their Copa campaign. Then on June 18th, they will go head to head in Match 8 at the Estadio de Maracana in Rio de Janeiro.

A lot is at stake in this match as the Top 2 teams from each Group will advance to the next round while the top two third-placed teams will also move forward in the competition. Given that powerhouse Brazil is the top favorite in the competition, Peru and Bolivia could be battling for the 2nd spot in Group A. That said, this match will be important because it could determine who joins Brazil in the next round.

Bolivia

Bolivia hosted the Copa America in 1997 and finished as runner-up of that tournament. Since then, the Verde has advanced past the group stages only once. It also seems generations ago when they last made the World Cup in 1994. The Bolivians are known to be formidable at home, in La Paz’s dizzying altitude. Outside their comfort zone though, they have been weak. Last year, Bolivia won only just one match and that was against lowly Myanmar.

Eduardo Villegas’ final 23-man squad is as follows:

• Goalkeepers: Carlos Lampe, Ruben Cordano, Javier Rojas
• Defenders: Marvin Bejarano, Diego Bejarano, Luis Haquin, Adrian Jusino, Mario Cuellar, Saul Torres, Roberto Fernandez, Jose Mario Carrasco
• Midfielders: Alejandro Chumacero, Raul Castro, Erwin Saavedra, Leonel Justiniano, Samuel Galindo, Fernando Saucedo, Diego Wayar, Paul Arano
• Forwards: Marcelo Martins, Gilbert Alvarez, Rodrigo Ramallo, Leonardo Vaca

Peru

Peru has won the Copa America twice, in 1939 and 1975. But since their last victory, they have not made it back to the final. When it comes to consistency though, Peru has made it to the quarterfinals in nine out of the last 10 editions of the Copa America. They were third placers in 2011 and 2015 and qualified for the 2019 FIFA World Cup although they did not make it past the group stages.

Ricardo Gareca’s final 23-man squad is as follows:

• Goalkeepers: Pedro Gallese, Carlos Caceda, Patricio Alvarez
• Defenders: Luis Advincula, Carlos Zambrano, Miguel Trauco, Aldo Corzo, Alexander Callens, Miguel Araujo, Anderson Santamaria, Luis Abram
• Midfielders: Yoshimar Yotun, Christian Cueva, Edison Flores, Renato Tapia, Christofer Gonzales, Jesus Pretell, Paolo Hurtado
• Forwards: Jefferson Farfan, Paolo Guerrero, Andre Carillo, Raul Ruidiaz, Andy Polo

Who Wins?

The betting odds for this match aren’t out yet but the soccer betting gods should favor the fancied Peruvians in this matchup. Peru heads to the 2019 Copa America with a very inexperienced line-up with only five players on the squad in double-digits as far as being capped is concerned. However, the return of Peru’s all-time leading goal scorer after a doping ban has given the team higher expectations.

Striker Paulo Guerrero tested positive for benzoylecgonine, a cocaine metabolite, during a 2017 World Cup qualifier and was subsequently suspended. But after serving his term, Guerrero returned to action last April and has scored a total of 9 goals for Brazilian club Internacional.

Guerrero is Peru’s all-time leading goal scorer with 36 goals in 91 matches. He also has the most goals in Copa America among active players with 11. Guerrero scored 5 goals in the 2011 Copa America and four in the 2015 edition as he was the driving force behind their back to back third place finishes.

The 35-year old needs only six more Copa America goals to become the tournament’s all-time leading scorer along with Argentine Norberto Méndez and Brazilian Zizinho, who have 17 goals each. Likewise, Guerrero needs five more goals to surpass Lolo Fernandez as Peru’s all-time top scorer in the Copa America tournament.

On the other hand, Bolivia’s recent international record isn’t favorable. The Bolivians have not won a match since defeating Myanmar 3-0 in October last year. They have scored a total of just three goals in their last seven matches and went scoreless in five of those games. Their record during that period is a dismal 0-4 with two draws, Then add the fact that Bolivia will face Brazil in their 2019 Copa America opener so they could head to this game winless in their last eight games.

Peru has a very talented but relatively inexperienced line-up. However, the inclusion of Suarez makes them a contender in the Copa America. The Peruvians beat Costa Rica 1-0 during their June 5, 2019 friendly at their Estadio Monumental de Lima with 27-year old Christian Cueva delivering the lone goal of the match. Based on their current form, Peru is ready for the Copa America. Prediction: Peru

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