Prediction: Brazil vs Bolivia

Verdict: Over 3.5 goals scored – yes

Best Odds: 5/4

Bookmaker: 888sport

The wait is over and the 2019 Copa America will finally begin! The host nation, Brazil, will open things up in a relatively easy fixture against Bolivia. La Canarinha are far superior than their opponent on both sides of the ball, so anything less than a convincing, comprehensive win for Brazil could be considered as a disaster.

Brazil

Looking at history, current squad, the home factor and overall strength of the team, there’s no question Brazil are massive favourites entering not only this match, but the tournament as a whole. Even though La Canarinha lost Neymar due to an injury and considering some important players are also missing – such as Marcelo and Vinicius Jr. – winning should be fairly easy for Brazil in this contest. Host nations always tend to have an easy group in these tournaments, and Brazil got squared with Peru, Venezuela and Friday’s opponent, Bolivia. In other words, they will face the sides that finished fifth, ninth and tenth in the 2018 FIFA World Cup CONMEBOL Qualifiers. However, they must respect their opponent and not get over confident. If that happens, then Brazil could be in line to suffer another upset like it happened in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Can Brazil eliminate those ghosts and begin their Copa America campaign with a solid win in front of their crowd?

Team News

Brazil should field a very strong lineup for the tournament opener. However, the biggest absentee will be Neymar. The PSG star suffered a nasty injury against Qatar and will spend months sidelined as a result.

Either Richarlison or David Neres will take Neymar’s place in Tite’s starting XI.

Bolivia

If Brazil are considered favourites, then it’s fair to say Bolivia are massive underdogs – not only for this match, but for the entire tournament. The weakest side in the CONMEBOL region by a wide margin, Eduardo Villegas is currently trying to establish a rebuilding process on the Altiplanic squad but it has been quite hard due to the lack of talent on both sides of the ball. With only three players featuring outside the Bolivian Primera Division, there’s also a massive lack of international experience on most players ahead of this tournament. Names such as Marcelo Moreno Martins, Alejandro Chumacero and Carlos Lampe will play huge roles during the tournament, but Bolivia shouldn’t have high hopes. They’re expected to lose by a sizable margin here, and their chances of potentially reaching the knockout stages seem slim – at best.

Team News

Bolivia are at full strength entering this match. However, there’s not a lot of clarity regarding the potential starting XI.

The one thing that’s clear is that Eduardo Villegas will play with his Best XI here. That includes Lampe, Chumacero and Moreno Martins as core members of the squad.

Key Factors to Consider

• Brazil have won the Copa America every time they’ve played at home.
• Bolivia’s recent form has been abysmal. They have just one win in their last 16 matches (W1, D7, L8).
• Furthermore, Bolivia have won the Copa America opener just once in their 14 appearances in the tournament (W1, D8. L5).
• Brazil haven’t conceded a goal on home soil in eight games. They have scored 26 times over that span.
• Five of Bolivia’s last six games saw under 2.5 goals.

Conclusion

Even though Brazil won’t have Neymar, they’re still overly superior to their opponent on both sides of the ball. Plus, playing at home should give Tite’s men quite a boost. After all, the idea is to begin the Cup with a strong result.

Therefore, I see Brazil obliterating Bolivia. Expect over 3.5 goals scored in total.

Verdict: Over 3.5 goals scored – yes

Best Odds: 5/4

Bookmaker: 888sport