URUGUAY will be aiming to stay perfect at Copa America as they battle USA in their final Group C fixture. The Uruguayans have shown their attacking quality in the competition and with the US also likely to adopt an open approach, goals could be expected here.
USA head into Tuesday’s clash off the back of a 2-1 defeat to Panama in their previous Group C fixture. They struck first through Folarin Balogun despite being reduced to 10 men before ultimately capitulating to the Panamanians.
Manager Gregg Berhalter will be disappointed with the result but will look at the red card to Timothy Weah as a mitigating factor. However, the USA must now move on from that game, with their task quite clear as they need to win on Tuesday to earn a slot in the round of 16.
Uruguay were rampant in their previous fixture as they ran out 5-0 winners over Bolivia. They were two goals up at the break thanks to Facundo Pellistri and Darwin Nunez while Maximillian Araujo, Federico Valverde and Rodrigo Bentancur added further goals in the second half.
It has been smooth sailing for Uruguay at this year’s Copa America as they have cruised through their two matches so far. Marcelo Bielsa’s men are already through to the round of 16 and need just a point from Tuesday’s clash to guarantee top spot.
How the bookies view it : USA have the edge
USA have the slight edge among the bookies and are priced at 11/8 by Betfred to claim the win. A victory for Uruguay is valued at 15/8 while Betfred is also offering odds of 21/10 for a draw.
Head to head: Evenly split
USA and Uruguay have one win each with two draws from four previous matches. The most recent meeting was a 0-0 draw in a friendly back in 2022.
Players to watch: Suarez to show experience
Luis Suarez is yet to start for Uruguay at this year’s Copa America and could be given the nod in attack on Tuesday. The striker is his country’s all time leading scorer and could be backed to find the net on Tuesday at 13/5 by Betfred.
Christian Pulisic remains the biggest attacking threat for the USA and will be the one to watch on Tuesday. The forward already has a goal in the tournament and could be worth keeping an eye on to find the net once again at 5/2 with Betfred.
Probable line-up
Timothy Weah is suspended for the USA and could be replaced in attack by Josh Sargent. Goalkeeper Matt Turner was taken off injured at half time against Panama and remains a doubt for Tuesday’s clash.
Having already progressed, Uruguay are likely to ring in the changes, with Luis Suarez set for his first start in this year’s competition. Rodrigo Bentancur is also pushing for a start after scoring off the bench last time out.
USA: Horvath, Scally, Richards, Ream, Robinson, McKennie, Adams, Reyna, Pulis8c, Sargent, Balogun
Uruguay: Rochet, Vina, Araujo, Gimenez, Nandez, Ugarte, Bentancur, Araujo, Pellistri, Arrascaeta, Suarez
Anything else catch the eye?
USA and Uruguay have shown some attacking quality in the competition, so goals could be expected here. Both teams could be backed to score at 5/6 by Betfred, who is also offering 11/10 for over 2.5 goals while over 3.5 goals is valued at 3/1 by Betfred.
There have been more goals after the break in Uruguay’s two matches in the competition and a similar pattern is priced at 11/10 by Betfred.
This Copa America match between USA and Uruguay will be played on Jul 2, 2024 and kick off at 02:00. Check below for our tipsters best USA vs Uruguay prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
