Chile are seeking their first win in this year’s Copa America as they face Bolivia in a Group A clash at Arena Pantanal. Having held Argentina in their opening fixture, they will be confident of seeing off the Bolivians, who have plenty of problems at the moment.
Chile played out a 1-1 draw against Argentina in their opening fixture in the competition. They fought back from a goal down with Eduardo Vargas tucking home the rebound after Arturo Vidal's penalty had been saved.
Although it was their third straight draw, manager Martin Lasarte will be pleased with the result as they had to do it without injured record goalscorer Alexis Sanchez. They are now unbeaten in six of their last seven matches, a run that includes a 2-1 victory over Bolivia in a friendly in March.
Even in the absence of Sanchez, there are still goals in this Chilean team with Eduardo Vargas already showing his quality in the opening fixture.
Bolivia failed to build on an early lead as they were beaten 3-1 by Paraguay in their opening fixture. They led at the break thanks to Erwin Saavedra's early penalty but a red card to Jaume Cuellar led to a collapse in the second half which saw them concede three goals.
Cesar Farias' men have been billed as the whipping boys of the group and had plenty of problems in the build up to the competition. They suffered a COVID-19 outbreak on the eve of their opening fixture with captain with topscorer Marcelo Martins among the players currently self-isolating.
The Bolivians have claimed just one win from their last nine matches, suffering six defeats in that run. Defending has also been a major problem, with their last clean sheet coming in a 0-0 draw in a friendly against Iraq in November 2018.
How the bookies view it
Chile are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies and are priced at 1/5 by bet365 to claim the win. A victory for Bolivia is valued at 16/1 by the same firm, who has a draw set at odds of 5/1.
The Bolivians have been poor lately and should be no match for Chile, who are expected to claim a comfortable victory.
Head to head
Chile have a 10-2 advantage with four draws from 16 previous matches against Bolivia. They have won four of the last six meetings, including a 2-1 victory in a friendly back in March.
Players to watch
With Alexis Sanchez ruled out, Eduardo Vargas will carry the attacking threat for Chile. The striker was on target in the opening fixture and could be worth a punt to score anytime at odds of 21/20 with bet365.
In the absence of captain Marcelo Martins and with striker Jaume Cuellar suspended, Bolivia will look to Gilbert Alvarez for goals. The forward is priced at 5/1 by bet365 in the anytime goalscorer market.
Anything else catch the eye?
Chile and Bolivia are often shaky at the back and are likely to produce goals in this one. Over 2.5 goals is priced at 8/11 by bet365, who is also offering odds of 6/4 on both teams to score.
The Chileans are likely to be comfortable against Bolivia and could be backed in the -2 handicap market at 7/4 with bet365. They could also be tipped to win both halves at 6/4 with the same firm.
This Copa America match between Chile and Bolivia will be played on Jun 18, 2021 and kick off at 22:00. Check below for our tipsters best Chile vs Bolivia prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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