While it feels like the Champions League final was our last football action for a while, that’s far from the case. Less than a week on, and international football is really kicking into gear. With a busy summer of tournaments ahead, sides are desperately trying to get ready. For teams in Europe, there’s just a game or two to go until they’re heading to France.
For teams in the Americas, it’s time to get down to business. The Euros may be a week or so off, but the Copa America gets underway this weekend. With a bumper number of teams for this special anniversary edition, there’s certainly going to be some entertainment in the States. Here we’re looking ahead to the best of the Copa, plus the upcoming friendlies. As always, we have betting tips on both.
Thursday 2nd June 2016
England v Portugal (19:45) – England to win and both teams to score (4/1 with Betfair)
England’s final game ahead of traveling to France sees them back at Wembley to face Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo won’t be making the trip to London with his team, as he looks to recover ahead of the tournament. After an almost ever present season packed with niggling injuries, it’s hard to blame him. There will be something missing for the supporters, as they miss out on one of the best players in the world. On the bright side, they don’t have to see what the Real Madrid forward could do to this Three Lions defence. After looking sloppy against Australia, Ronaldo would have put them to the sword.
England’s preparations have been all about their backline. While Roy Hodgson didn’t pick enough defenders to give himself a choice ahead of the tournament, it’s still the area he’s most focused on. It’s hard to see their problems being fixed by a few days on the training ground. There’s a lack of talent at centre-half, and little experience throughout the seven selected defenders. Even without Ronaldo, you’d have to fancy Portugal’s chances here. Both Turkey and Australia got a goal in a defeat against England, and we’re backing something similar. England to win here and both teams to score is our tip, and it’s priced at 4/1 with Betfair.
Saturday 4th June 2016
USA v Colombia (2:30) – USA to win (8/5 with Coral)
The Copa America gets under way late on Friday night, as the hosts face Colombia. The United States are hoping to tap into the energy created in the country during the 2014 World Cup. Can they inspire more Americans to get involved in the Copa America? A successful run here for Jurgen Klinsmann’s team would be a massive boost to the sport in the States, which is increasing its profile all the time. The USA actually have quite a strong chance of doing well here. They’ve been impressive at home lately, and they’ve ended up in a pretty favourable group. Their toughest test is going to be this opening match.
Getting off to a good start won’t be easy, as the Colombians have enough strength to put on a strong showing here. They may not be quite the same level from their World Cup run two years ago, but they still have star man James Rodriguez. The US will need to keep him quiet if they’re to win their opener, and they’ll need some strong displays of their own. Kicking off a tournament is usually a big boost to a side, so that should help the Americans. They’ve put together a six game winning streak, and we see that continuing here. We’re going with a win for the hosts, at 8/5 with Coral.
Slovakia v Northern Ireland (19:45) – Over 1.5 Slovakia goals (evens with Bet365)
The Slovakians sent out a huge message to group rivals England, Wales and Russia over the weekend. They weren’t expected to put up much of a challenge for the top spots, but then they went and beat Germany 3-1 away from home. Suddenly everyone is taking a closer look at them and that group looks a whole lot tighter. All four sides in the group will be pushing for the last 16, which does make things very interesting. Can Slovakia now build on their strong result with another win, this time against one of the home nations? Northern Ireland may not be Germany, but they’re certainly an in-form opponent.
The Ulstermen have now gone 11 games unbeaten ahead of the Euros, and they’ll be hoping to carry that form towards the tournament too. Neither of these two were thought to harbour serious tournament ambitions, but they could cause a shock or two in France this summer. While NI have gone from strength to strength over the past two years, they face a tricky test in this game. How are they supposed to match a side who just upset Germany? There is a lot of talent in this Slovakia team, and we expect that to shine through here. Fresh from putting three past the Germans, back Slovakia to score over 1.5 here, at evens with Bet365.
Sunday 5th June 2016
Brazil v Ecuador (3:00) – Both teams to score (Evens with Sky Bet)
In the early hours of Sunday Brazil get their Copa America campaign underway, as they play a very confident Ecuador side. Dunga’s team come here as second favourites overall, but they are missing star forward Neymar. With the Olympics taking place in Brazil this year, some of their top stars are prioritising that over this edition of the Copa.
Can the Brazilians lift the trophy even without some of their top stars? They’re going to face a challenge in the later stages for sure, but they could face a pretty tough task in their opening game too. Their group may look straightforward, but Ecuador could cause a shock here.
Ecuador made a very strong start to their World Cup qualifying campaign. They are level on points with leaders Uruguay after six games. Their opening match saw them win 2-0 away to Argentina, while they’ve shown their skills since then. This team have quite a few Premier League players, and the ability is in there. Against a Brazil side who are weakened, you’d have to give the underdogs a genuine chance here. While we aren’t going to back them for a shock, we do see them getting a goal at least. Both teams to score is our bet here, which is big at evens with Sky Bet.
See also:
- BTTS tips (2nd to 5th June)
- Acca tips (2nd to 5th June)