Seeley’s Selections – Saturday’s Live Copa America

The Copa America group stages come to an end this weekend and the majority of BoyleSports punters will raise a glass that, as this tournament so far has been a total disaster for favourite backers.

The odds compilers in Dundalk will wish they had a Copa America every year as this tournament has thrown its fair share of freak results and I don’t think the shocks have ended just yet.

Uruguay v Paraguay, Saturday 8pm, live on Premiere & Setanta
Saturday night’s South American games come from Group B and the first match of a double header is between Uruguay and Paraguay in Serena.

I think that this one offers us a little bit of value as I believe that both of these nations have done enough to qualify through to the knock-out stages with the tournament handing out quarter-final places for the two best placed third sides. I can’t see this one being too exciting.

The winners of the match, if we have a winner, are very likely to take on Brazil in the quarter-finals and the losers set to play the hosts Chile in the quarter-final; both tricky tasks and with no real preference for either side, this could turn into a damp squib.

Uruguay are an industry best at 21/20 with BoyleSports to end the group stage with a win and I can see why they want to take the defending champions on.

Most punters will fall into the trap and back them just because of their World Cup pedigree and they have more recognisable players so they MUST be a bet in this one; well I won’t touch them personally.

Oscar Tabarez’s side are really struggling to score goals and are missing the services of suspended striker Luis Suarez and that is the chief reason that I wouldn’t be backing them for this non-event.

The Uruguayans struggled to beat Jamaica 1-0 in their opener and then they went down by that scoreline against tournament favourites Argentina and they’ve now scored one goal or fewer in six of their last seven internationals. They will struggle in front of goal again on Saturday.

Under 2.5 goals does look good at a very short 8/15 with BoyleSports and I also like the 8/11 on both teams failing to score. The Paraguayans are 3/1 to end the group with a win and to maintain the shock results with BoyleSports.

For me though, it’s all about the draw at 2/1 with BoyleSports as I can see the two playing out a very tepid affair. With both nations really struggling to find the net, no goalscorer at the 13/2 with BoyleSports also looks a sensible play.

Seeley’s Selections:
Draw @ 2/1
No Goalscorer @ 13/2
Under 2.5 Goals @ 8/15
Bot Teams To Score – No @ 8/11

Argentina v Jamaica, Saturday 10.30pm, live on Premiere & Setanta
The tournament has been a disaster for favourite backers as we all know to our cost and Mrs S has had to cancel the all-Inclusive in Turkey for a caravan in Great Yarmouth on the back of this event.

Money buyers will be all over the 1/7 with BoyleSports on Argentina to beat Jamaica in the final Group B match. The Argies will win, of that I’m sure, despite them playing their opening two matches so far in first gear and they really are expected to put on a performance against the “Reggae Boyz”.

Gerardo Martino’s tournament favourites haven’t shown their potential so far after a slender 1-0 success against Uruguay and a disappointing 2-2 draw with Paraguay in their group opener. I’m expecting them to finally arrive at the party in this one and although I couldn’t be backing them at 1/7, I could get involved in the 6/5 on them -2 goals with BoyleSports.

Jamaica have won just two of their last 19 matches and even in a tournament of shocks, nobody can possibly make a case for them to produce the biggest one of them all and win this at a massive 20/1 with BoyleSports.

In a tournament of punting disasters so far, our old mucka Sergio Aguero has come to our rescue twice with the opening goal in both of the Argies’ group games. He will be popular again at the 9/4 with BoyleSports to score first in the third successive match, but I’m deserting him in favour of Lionel Messi at 15/8.

The Little Maestro usually puts in at least one performance in a major championship and it’s usually against the whipping boys and I believe this could get very Messy indeed for the Jamaicans.

The Barcelona frontman has an incredible record of scoring hat-tricks for his club against bottom half sides in La Liga and this could turn into a mis-match. I’m going to chance my arm on him grabbing a hat-trick at 13/2 with BoyleSports in a comfortable 4-0 success which is 7/1 with BoyleSports.

B Lucky!

Seeley’s Selections:
Argentina -2 (Handicap Betting) @ 6/5
Lionel Messi To Score 3+ Goals @ 13/2
Correct Score: Argentina 4-0 @ 7/1

*Prices correct at time of publication