The most successful side in the history of the Copa America are favourites to top Group C. Uruguay have won this competition 15 times, and they’d love to add to that total in the centenary tournament this summer. They have a good chance of doing just that, as they have arguably the most in-form forward in the world playing for them. Here we assess their chances as well as look at some other key bets and markets for Group C, whilst our odds comparison will bring you the best odds for the individual games, outright betting and a range of other markets too.
Uruguay finished third in their group at last summer’s Copa in Chile, but that came without Luis Suarez. He missed the whole tournament after he bit Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup. His lengthy ban is now over, and he’s coming here in fantastic form.
Suarez is leading the scoring charts for Barcelona, and that’s no mean feat. He’s played a huge part in their season, and Uruguay will be demanding some similar displays. Many seem to think this group is fairly open, but if Suarez is at his best then that won’t be the case.
Uruguay are set to meet Mexico, Venezuela and Jamaica at the group stage. That means that Suarez and his team face the sides who finished bottom of each of the 2015 Copa America groups. They actually met Jamaica a year ago, and only managed a 1-0 win. With their talisman back up front, you’d expect better this time around and looking at some big correct score odds there could be wise.
Bet365 have Uruguay at odds of evens to come out on top in Group C, while they have Mexico as their biggest challengers at 5/4. Venezuela are priced at 9/1 with Ladbrokes to win the group, while Jamaica are out at best betting odds of 17/1 with Pinnacle. You’d think that Uruguay are the most likely of the four to challenge for the trophy (they are priced at odds of 11/1 with SportingBet in the outright betting), while the sides around them have been unconvincing of late.
Venezuela were bottom of their group in last year’s tournament, despite beating Colombia. They’re currently ranked 74th in the world, and few expect them to make much of an impact this time around. Betfair have them at 80/1 to win the 2016 Copa America, which says enough about their chances.
Compare that to Uruguay’s odds and you can see the difference. They’re ninth in the world after making a great start to their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign, which sees them lead the rest of the continent in the standings. Surely that tempts you to back the 2011 winners at odds more than double Brazil’s?
Those World Cup qualifiers have seen them pull off some very strong results. They picked up a 2-2 draw away to Brazil, while they blew away Copa America holders Chile 3-0 at home. They’re coming into this tournament in good shape and are sure to attract significant bets in the outright.
Their competition in this group doesn’t seem like too much of an issue. While Uruguay didn’t have the best of tournaments last year, they played pretty well. Add an on-form Suarez to that mix and it’s hard to see Mexico putting up much of a challenge. While Uruguay are pretty well priced to top the group, we believe that they should be a lot shorter.
Backing them to come out on top here at odds of evens seems like a smart bet. We’re also thinking of them as an outside bet for the tournament. It’s only five years since they last won the trophy, and they have enough talent within their side to do so again. They’re certainly among the contenders, and given how their main forward is outscoring Lionel Messi in Spain, they look to be worth a few quid with their odds as big as they are.
Uruguay come into their opening game of the tournament against Mexico well priced, too. Unibet have them at odds of 6/4 to win their clash with the Mexicans, which also looks like a good value bet. Given their strong recent results, it’s very tempting to back them to get off to a good start and 6/4 would be a nice way to boost your Copa America betting balance early in the tournament.
In the other game from the opening round in this group, we’re backing a win for Venezuela. Bet365 have them at 6/4 to take three points, and you’d have to imagine that they’ll see off Jamaica. They may have made a poor start in the World Cup campaign, but those games should have them ready to see off weaker opposition.
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