While the first Europa League qualifying round kicked off this week, we’ve still got a month to wait until the domestic season is back. For now, international football is what we’re focusing on to occupy our time, with the Women’s World Cup and the Copa America currently filling our summer break with something to watch (and bet on).
After weeks of entertaining football, both competitions draw to a close this week, with clubs about to kick off their pre-seasons. That means this weekend has two finals and two third place play-off matches for us to enjoy, our last taste of international football until the Euro qualifiers in September. Here we take a look at the four games from Chile and Canada this weekend, with betting tips for all the clashes.
Saturday 4th July 2015
Peru v Paraguay (00:30) – Paraguay to win (19/10 with Bet365)
The first game of the weekend comes late on Friday night, with an unlikely meeting in the Copa America third place play-off. This kind of game isn’t usually everyone’s favourite, with the players often too down to want to play again. The difference in this game is the two sides involved. No one would have predicted these two would be semi-finalists before this competition started, but they’ve caused some shocks along the way. Can they wrap up an impressive campaign by finishing third?
This game very rarely takes the shine off a good tournament, few ever mention England’s defeat in the third place match at Italia ’90. However, it could add to the success for either side if they win. Peru come into the game as favourites, but the scalps that Paraguay have taken show they’re a very good unit. Their 6-1 drubbing by Argentina probably helped drift their odds, but they drew 2-2 with the Argentines in the group opener. After seeing off Brazil, Paraguay can do the same to Peru here. Priced at just under 2/1, they’re good value to get that third spot.
Germany Women v England Women (21:00) – Germany to win and BTTS (9/4 with Coral)
Another third place play-off, but this one has the added bonus of involving England. The women’s side managed a feat that the men will struggle to match anytime soon when they reached the semis of the World Cup, but defeat to Japan saw their dreams crushed. Next up for the Lionesses is a game against old rivals Germany, the team currently ranked number one in the world. This is a huge test for England, a perfect way to end a fantastic tournament. Can they add even more to their campaign and come away with a victory over the Germans?
According to the bookies, it seems unlikely. As we mentioned, a defeat here wouldn’t take the shine off a great year for the women’s team, but a win would just add to their achievement. They’ve already outdone themselves, but could a game against Germany be a step too far for them? It does seem that way, and the Germans will be extra determined after losing to the USA in the semis. England are more than capable of troubling the German backline here, but it’s hard to see anything other than a win for the two-time world champions. Germany win and both teams to score looks to be the best value on offer here.
Chile v Argentina (21:00) – Over 2.5 goals (11/10 with BetVictor)
The final of the Copa America takes place on Saturday night, with the hosts taking on the pre-tournament favourites. Chile are searching for a first ever win in this competition, and they’ll be hoping home advantage will be enough to see off the Argentines. The 2014 World Cup runners up are looking to banish the ghosts of last year, and victory in this competition would certainly do the trick. They come into this game with a lot of expectations, and there’s a lot of pressure on their shoulders.
Argentina’s 6-1 thrashing of Paraguay in the semi-finals seemed to hint that their incredible attack had finally clicked. Getting a balance between Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Angel Di Maria seemed difficult, but Gerardo Martino seems to have done the trick. Those superstars will be facing off against a Chilean side with their own great attacking talent, which should set us up for a fantastic encounter. If they both play to their potential, we could see an end to end game and a ton of goals. That makes the 11/10 BetVictor are offering on over 2.5 goals a bet you should really take advantage of.
Monday 6th July 2015
USA Women v Japan Women (00:00) – USA to win to nil (2/1 with Coral)
Late Sunday night (or Monday if you want to get technical) sees the end of the Women’s World Cup, with a rematch of the 2011 final. Favourites USA take on the holders Japan, who beat the Americans on penalties four years ago. Now the US are out for revenge, and how better to do that than by winning a record breaking third world title? The bookies seem to give the Japanese very little chance going into this one, which means it’s difficult to get any value on a win for the USA.
That’s because the Americans have been as efficient as a well-oiled machine in getting this far. They’ve won every single game to nil in the knockout round. They beat the Germans 2-0 in the semis, and now they face a Japanese side who toiled to make it to the final. Given the final takes place just across the border in Canada, there’ll be plenty of American supporters, almost making this a home match. It’s difficult to see Japan stopping the US from ending a 16 year wait for another World Cup win, and we’re backing the Americans to record another clean sheet here on their way to glory.