PERU and Chile begin their Copa America campaign with a Group A clash on Saturday. Both teams have looked solid in recent times but the Chileans are one of the powerhouses in this competition and should have the upper hand in this one.
Peru are two times winners of the Copa America, although their last title came back in 1975. They have generally struggled to compete with the big guns in recent times but finished in fourth place in the last edition.
The Peruvians have shown some quality in the build-up to the tournament as they are unbeaten in their last five matches. Jorge Fossati’s men have claimed three wins in that run, including a 1-0 victory over El Salvador in their final warm- up fixture.
Chile are also two-time Copa America winners, although their wins have been more recent. They won back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016 with current players like Claudio Bravo, Alexis Sanchez and Eduardo Vargas all part of that squad.
The Chileans are always one of the teams to watch at the Copa America and have been decent in their recent international friendlies. Ricardo Gareca’s men head into Saturday’s opener off the back of a 3-0 victory over Paraguay in their final warm-up game.
How the bookies view it: Chile backed to prevail
Chile have been installed as overwhelming favourites among the bookies and are priced at evens by bet365 to claim the win. A victory for Peru is valued at 10/3 while a draw is set at odds of 21/10.
Head to head: Peru fall short
Chile have a 15-7 advantage with one draw from 23 previous matches against Peru. The Chileans have also won two of the last three meetings and claimed a 2-0 victory in a CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier back in October.
Last five H2H duels:
- 13/10/2023 (World Cup Qualifiers) – Chile 2-0 Peru
- 08/10/2021 (World Cup Qualifiers) – Peru 2-0 Chile
- 14/11/2020 (World Cup Qualifiers) – Chile 2-0 Peru
- 04/07/2019 (Copa America) – Chile 0-3 Peru
- 13/10/2018 (International Friendly) – Peru 3-0 Chile
Players to watch: Vargas still hot
Eduardo Vargas remains a key player for Chile and will be the one to watch on Saturday. The striker has found the net in two of his last three international appearances and is priced at 9/4 by bet365 to maintain his scoring run.
Chile also have quality at the back, keeping clean sheets in two of their last three matches. Igor Lichnovsky has been a rock at the heart of the backline and can lead the Chileans to another clean sheet at 6/5 by bet365.
Probable line-ups
Peru are counting on the experience of veteran striker Paolo Guerrero, who is expected to lead the line on Saturday. Gianluca Lapadula is likely to provide support with Carlos Zambrano set to feature in defence.
Veteran goalkeeper Claudio Bravo should captain Chile on Saturday while Lichnovsky is set to feature in defence. Experienced forwards Alexis Sanchez and Eduardo Vargas are also expected to lead the line.
Peru: Gallese, Araujo, Zambrano, Abram, Advincula, Pena, Cartagena, Quispe, Lopez, Lapadula, Guerrero
Chile: Bravo, Suazo, Lichnovsky, Catalan, Isla, Pulgar, Nunez, Valdez, Davila, Sanchez, Vargas
Anything else catch the eye?
Chile won to nil in the last meeting with Peru and could be set for a similar outcome at 2/1 by bet365. Given the one-sided nature of some of the recent results, a -1 handicap could also be considered at 3/1 with bet365.
The Chileans scored in both halves in their previous fixture and a similar pattern is priced at 11/4 by bet365.
This Copa America match between Peru and Chile will be played on Jun 22, 2024 and kick off at 01:00. Check below for our tipsters best Peru vs Chile prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
