Peru vs. Paraguay – 2021 Copa America (July 2)

Both these sides will regard this fixture as an easier tie after avoiding the likes of Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, and Colombia in the draw for the last eight. But now, one of them will progress to the semifinal of the 2021 Copa America after Friday’s game in Goiania.

It looks like being a very evenly balanced game between two teams that have probably exceeded expectations so far at this tournament. Brazil or Chile awaits in the semifinals, though.

I’m going to look at this game from a betting perspective and provide my own Peru vs. Paraguay betting pick.

BetOnline has Paraguay as the favorite to continue its fine form and progress to the semifinal stage. But the prices for all three match bet options are very close here, which only illustrates the difficulty of picking a winner. Peru did finish second in its group, though, so I would be looking at that possibility or the draw.

Peru began the 2021 Copa America in the worse possible way by losing 4-0 to a rampant Brazil. But things have picked up dramatically since then. The victory over Colombia showed real intent by Los Incas – and the second-half comeback against Ecuador suggested that this is a team that will continue to fight whatever the circumstances.

Peru did lose defender Alexander Callens in that game, though – and he now looks set to miss the rest of the tournament.

Paraguay won two and lost two in the opening phase of this year’s Copa America and will regard that as a success after the struggles it has had already during its World Cup qualification campaign. But that began with a 2-2 draw with Friday’s opponent, and head coach Eduardo Berizzo will feel like his side has improved since then.

The injured Miguel Almiron will be a big miss, though. He went off injured in the first half against Uruguay last time out, and the Newcastle United attacker is unlikely to make an appearance here. Although he has not had the best of tournaments so far, he is one of the few big stars in the Paraguay team.

I think this will be a very close encounter with two teams able to take the game to its opponent. Still, the absence of Almiron is a major factor in my prediction for how the game is to go. Paraguay has relied more on the likes of Angel Romero and Gabriel Alvaros so far, but the star quality that Almiron can provide is difficult to replace.

Peru has had the better Copa America so far, in my opinion, though. The thrashing from Brazil aside, it has competed well and fought back into games that looked lost – and that determination is something I think will play a big part in its success here.

Midfielder Christian Cueva is likely to be at the center of everything positive for Peru and, although I don’t think he will find the net himself on Friday, he could make all the difference for his team going forward.