Paraguay and Bolivia will hope for a positive start to the Copa America when they meet in their opening Group B fixture at the Estadio Olimpico Pedro Ludovico Teixeira. Paraguay look the more solid at the moment and should edge this one.
Paraguay head into Tuesday’s opener off the back of a 2-0 defeat to Brazil in a South American World Cup qualifier. They made a slow start and despite showing some improvement in the second half, failed to find a way past a solid Brazilian backline.
La Albirroja have suffered just one defeat in their last nine matches, although six of those fixtures have ended in draws. They will hope to turn those draws into wins at the Copa America and will be confident against a poor Bolivian team.
A major headache for manager Eduardo Berizzo is the team’s defending as they have kept just one clean sheet in their last six matches.
Bolivia also failed to win in their final fixture before the Copa America as they played out a 1-1 draw with Chile. They fought back from a goal down with Marcelo Martin’s penalty five minutes from time earning them a share of the spoils.
Cesar Farias' men have not been at their best heading into the tournament in Brazil with just one win from their last eight matches. They have suffered five defeats in that run, the biggest of which was a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of the Brazilians.
The Bolivians have an even worse defensive record than Paraguay and are without a clean sheet in their last 18 matches across all competitions.
How the bookies view it
Paraguay are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a win priced at 4/7 by bet365. A victory for Bolivia is valued at 11/2 by the same firm, who are also offering odds of 14/5 for a draw.
Paraguay look too strong for a poor Bolivian team and should earn the victory here.
Head to head
Paraguay have the edge in this fixture with six wins from 15 previous matches. Bolivia have been victorious four times while both teams have battled to five stalemates, including a 2-2 draw during a World Cup qualifying fixture in 2020.
Players to watch
Much of Paraguay’s attacking play goes through midfielder Miguel Almiron, who serves as the creative force in the team. Striker Angel Romero often applies the finishing touch in attack and both men can combine to produce over 1.5 goals for the Paraguayans at 5/6 with bet365.
Marcelo Martins has impressed for Bolivia recently with eight goals from his last nine international appearances. The striker has the quality to trouble the Paraguayan backline and will hope to help his team score over 1.5 goals at 9/2 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Paraguay and Bolivia are not particularly convincing in defence and could be set to serve up goals. Over 3.5 goals is priced at 10/3 at bet365, who are also offering odds of 6/5 for over 2.5 goals.
Both teams could be backed to score at 6/5 with bet365 while the Paraguayans are also likely to score in the first half at 4/5 with the same firm.
This Copa America match between Paraguay and Bolivia will be played on Jun 15, 2021 and kick off at 01:00. Check below for our tipsters best Paraguay vs Bolivia prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
