Seeley’s Selections – Mexico v Bolivia

It’s not a classic by any stretch of the imagination with Saturday night’s Copa America action between two Group A minnows Mexico and Bolivia in what looks a very difficult betting puzzle to solve.

The Mexicans are very very short in this one at just 1/2 with BoyleSports and anybody thinking about taking those prices should really have a good think about it first.

However appealing it may look at first glance, the Mexicans haven’t taken this tournament seriously recently and they aren’t again with the main priority the CONCACAF Gold Cup which starts just a few days after the action in Chile finishes.

In the last Copa America, the entire Mexican squad was made up of under 23 players and it showed with them losing all three matches and scoring just ONE goal. This time around, all their major performers are all at home and the squad is entirely assembled with players from the their domestic league and youngsters plying their trade in Europe with the only exception being veteran defender, Rafa Marquez…hardly something that will inspire you to take the odds-on quotes.

Saying that though, Bolivia are awful and they can’t be backed either at the 5/1 with BoyleSports. They are officially the worst ranked South American nation at a lowly 89 in the latest FIFA world rankings and they are certainly the most under prepared.

New coach Mauricio Soria has only been in charge for only a couple of months and he’s had just one friendly international and a couple of training sessions with the squad and he is now the nation’s third different manager this season; hardly the preparation you want ahead of a major tournament.

The first thing he’s got to work on is the defence with El Verde now failing to keep a clean sheet in their last 29 games,

…but I think this one could be a very tight affair with it being the group opener and with so many negatives around both squads, the draw is the sensible wager to have at massive 16/5 with BoyleSports.

The Bolivians were dumped out of the last Copa America at the group stage and I’m expecting them to come to the same fate in this one, but they did hold hosts Argentina in the tournament opener to a 1-1 draw and I fancy them to frustrate this in-experienced Mexican side again.

A much stronger Mexico XI beat them 1-0 in a friendly last November and in five of the last six Mexico matches, under 2.5 goals has been a winner and I fancy a tight one on Saturday night. Under 2.5 is certainly a bet I like at 20/23 with BoyleSports; despite five of Bolivia’s last six games seeing the overs line as a winner.

With both nations expected to be group whipping boys with Chile and Ecuador waiting for them in their remaining group fixtures, a defeat for either will almost mean certain elimination. That’s why I’m expecting this to be cagey and a 1-1 draw at 13/2 with BoyleSports looks the best bet for correct score players.

B Lucky!

Seeley’s Selections:
Draw @ 16/5
Under 2.5 Goals @ 20/23
Correct Score: Draw 1-1 @ 13/2