Seeley’s Selections – Peru v Paraguay

No international footballer ever wants to be playing in a third place play-off in a major tournament but that is exactly what the players of Peru and Paraguay have to look forward to in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Usually in a match of this nature where nobody wants to participate and nothing is at stake, a “no bet” verdict would be the call, but surprisingly this match offers us one of the best bets of the entire tournament.

I like the 11/8 with BoyleSports on Peru to win this as both nations will arrive in this match in entirely different state of minds.

The Peruvians have really impressed everybody in this Copa America and they played very well in the 2-1 defeat to hosts Chile; a game where they played for 70 minutes with just 10 men.

Before the sending off, Ricardo Gareca’s side where much the better team and even with the ten men, they created a string of chances and I’m certain La Blanquirroha will score against this fatigued Paraguay side who were hit for SIX in their semi-final against Argentina and probably wish they were on the first plane home after that performance.

The Paraguayans have had a tournament to remember also, but they lost their legs in the later stages of the quarter-final against Brazil and looked totally shattered in the 6-1 drubbing that the Argies dished out to them.

Paraguay are 9/5 to raise their game for one final time and that looks impossible to me. Although, they can score as they’ve proved in the two games they played against tournament favourites Argentina, banging in three, and in a non event like this, it could prove to get stuck into the goals markets.

Both teams to score as a “yes” would’ve been a winner in a lot of third place play-offs over the years and at 1/2 it’s short with BoyleSports, but rightly so. The last two matches between these two nations were both this season and both teams scored in those. Now in this non-event, the goals are expected to fly.

Over 2.5 goals looks good at 6/10 with BoyleSports, but I would be more tempted to back over 3.5 goals at BoyleSports’ offer of 29/20 and if neither of those are to your liking, then a 3-1 Peru win at 14/1 with BoyleSports might tempt you in.

Team news will be crucial for first goalscorer betting and keep stakes to a minimum until we see the starting line-ups. I’m expecting Peru to go strong and if they do, defender Carlos Ascues is worth a small bet at a big price.

Ascues scored a brace the last time these two nations met in a friendly in November and at 12/1, I’m going to have a little flutter on the towering centre-back who is a menace from set-pieces to get on the end of one with the opener.

B Lucky!

Seeley’s Selections:
Peru To Win @ 11/8
Both Teams To Score – Yes @ 1/2
Over 3.5 Goals @ 29/20
Correct Score: Peru 3-1 @ 14/1
Carlos Ascues First Goalscorer @ 12/1

*Prices correct at time of publication