Only one group from the 2016 Copa America Centenario has yet to take the field, but all four teams from that cluster will finally see action this Monday, beginning with the clash between Panama and Bolivia.
These two countries aren’t really expected to emerge on top of Group D, but each of them could stand a good chance against the group’s true heavyweights after a solid opening match over the other. Who will make a better first impression in Orlando? Let’s find out below.
Afterwards, head on over to our preview for the much-awaited showdown between powerhouses Argentina and Chile to cap off your inaugural round of intense Copa America betting action.
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As two-time runners-up at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, we expected a lot more from Panama heading into this year’s installment of the Copa America.
Instead, Los Canaleros enter the tournament having lost two-straight friendly matches to Venezuela and Brazil, and they were held scoreless in both affairs all the worse. In fact, Panama has failed to score more than just a single goal in six of its last seven contests, which leaves manager Hernan Dario Gomez with a lot of work to do on their offensive game plan before Monday’s game.
Still, the Panamanians have stayed relatively competitive in international play mainly because of their standout goalie Jaime Penedo – an integral part of the Los Angeles Galaxy’s success from 2013 to 2015.
Yet strangely enough and in spite of their scoring woes, Los Canaleros are still favored to score first in their upcoming match against Bolivia with a price of -147 in doing so. Perhaps their recent success over their South-American competition speaks for their odds. Panama’s last two friendlies against Bolivia occurred back in 2011, with the former winning both meetings by a combined score of 5-1.
If you thought Panama was already in bad shape, try Bolivia’s miserable slump out for size.
La Verde have lost four-straight matches and nine of their last 10 entering the Copa, having been handily outscored 32-8 during that span. Their last two outings from that stretch were just brutal too, having been blanked on both occasions and with the latest defeat being a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of a rather underwhelming United States team.
Although the Bolivians did make a shocking appearance at the quarterfinal stage in last year’s edition of the Copa, there’s not much firepower left in manager Julio Cesar Baldivieso’s arsenal as we speak. Particularly, the absence of Marcelo Martins Moreno – Bolivia’s leading scorer of the tournament in 2015 – is a huge blow for this squad.
The task in now up to the team’s best remaining striker, Juan Carlos Arce, to carry the scoring load for Bolivia. However, that’s hardly a sound argument to begin with. In 49 career matches for his country’s national team, Arce only has eight goals under his belt.
Writer’s Prediction
Both clubs suffer from the scoring yips again as the match unfortunately ends in a scoreless draw (+214).
