In the early hours of Monday, Uruguay and Panama kick off their Copa America Group C campaigns in Miami.
UruguayAs is usually the case, La Celeste is one of the favourites to win the competition, with only the continent giants Brazil and Argentina more favoured to lift the trophy in the USA.
Marcelo Bielsa’s team has not been in the best of form in their most recent international games. However, they have suffered just one defeat in their previous eight matches.
They have been relatively strong in front of goals in recent games, scoring at least two goals in five of their last eight matches.
Uruguay, a team with a rich history in the Copa America, holds the record for the most titles alongside neighbours Argentina, having won the competition on 15 occasions.
Their recent record at the competition is mixed. They are unbeaten over 90 minutes in four games. However, they suffered a penalty kick defeat against Colombia in the quarter-finals of Copa America 2021.
PanamaThe Central American team is considered the underdog to qualify for the knockout stages from Group C alongside Bolivia. Monday’s opponents and the USA are the favourites to make it to the last eight of the competition.
Their recent international record has been slightly inconsistent. A 1-0 home defeat by Paraguay last time out ended a short two-game winning run. They have won two and lost three of their previous five outings.
Thomas Christensen’s team has been involved in several high-scoring games lately, with six of their previous nine matches producing over 2.5 goals.
Panama only made their debut at the Copa America in 2016. After winning their opening game against Bolivia, they suffered back-to-back defeats against Argentina and Chile, conceding a total of nine goals in the two losses.
What am I backing?Uruguay are the clear favourites for victory here, but a La Celeste win offers little value in this match. The bet I am backing is over 2.5 goals scored, as I believe this will be a high-scoring encounter.
