How to Bet on Matches in the Copa America Knockout Stage (Part I)

All the favorite teams are still in the competition with Chile looking for a place in the final against either of the two South American footballing giants.

The group stage of the 44th edition of the Copa America were wrapped up mostly as it was expected before the tournament, with minor surprises like the straight advance of Bolivia and the third-place qualification of Colombia behind Peru.

• Chile to reach the final
• Uruguay to hope for penalties
• Back Peru against Bolivia

The first phase enabled us to get a reasonable picture of the strength, style and capability of the sides which gives us a better chance to wager on the games in the knockout stage. Though US gambling laws are still very strict in the majority of the states, those who live in a place with legalized gambling could make some money on the games.

Forget the draws! Or not?

Tie is an important feature in every soccer tournament, being a quite common, and for punters, usually beneficial outcome in the group stages. However, in the knockout phase that uses a playoff system, there are no draws since advancing has to be determined during one game. Still, a draw is possible after 90 minutes with extra time and penalty shootout as tie-breakers. This system offers further betting selections for punters playing at digital gambling destinations, with a far easier option to wager on which team to go through than to determine the outcome at the end of regulation.

Chile is on their way to the final

After the two biggest powers of South American football, Argentina and Brazil won their respective groups and Colombia finished third in Group C, Chile avoided all of their main rivals en route to the final. In the quarter-finals they have to eliminate title-holder Uruguay, a team that lines up without banned superstar Luis Suarez and that was able to win only one of its games against Copa outsiders Jamaica in Group B. A failure from the hosts against Uruguay would come as a surprise, however it is possible that Arturo Vidal and co won’t be able to beat the organized La Celeste in 90 minutes, who conceded only two goals in the tournament so far.

Players wagering at online sportsbooks in the US should consider that maybe the penalties would be Uruguay’s best chance against Chile that applies an ever-attacking and ever-pressing system and is the most productive side of the tournament, racking up ten goals so far. Even without their 5–0 hammering of Bolivia they scored the most in the Copa, as none of the teams reached five goals in the group stage.

What’s the deal with Bolivia and Peru?

In the semis, the winner of the Chile v Uruguay quarter-final will take on the best team from the Bolivia v Peru clash. The former were thrashed by the hosts in their respective group game with the latter being anything but a footballing superpower recently. However, after their 2011 campaign that saw them finishing third in Argentina, Peru came up with a sufficient performance once again, that could bring them another top-four finish. After beating Venezuela they only had to achieve a draw against Columbia to advance in second place, which they duly did, sending Los Cafeteros in the arms of Argentina.

To reach the semis, Los Incas only have to defeat Bolivia that won its first game in the Copa America in 18 years after defeating Mexico in a 3–2 thriller. The last time they recorded a victory in the competition was on home soil when they went all the way to the final only to be defeated by Brazil in 1997. However Chile did not miss on the opportunity to show their actual place in world football, as they put five behind Romel Quinonez in the last round of the group stage. To advance from the group that was arguably the easiest in the tournament, La Verde needed Ecuador to beat the Mexico B, which eventually happened, so surprisingly, Bolivia also finished second in their own quartet.

Peru reaching the final would be a major upset, one of the biggest in the history of the tournament, especially with Chile possessing arguably the best team in the history of La Roja. However the two meeting in the semis would be the most likely outcome, so anyone who bet on sports in the US would make a reasonable decision by backing Chile and Peru in the quarterfinals.

Read more about how to bet on the Copa America here
You can find an extensive betting guide to the Copa America here