Argentina was the only team to go a perfect 3-0-0 in the group stage of the Copa America Centenario. The tournament favorite will look to continue its run in the quarterfinal round this Saturday against Venezuela.
Copa America 2016 odds: Argentina, Mexico favorites in the final two Copa quarterfinals
The Copa America quarterfinals wrap up Saturday with Argentina favored over Venezuela and Mexico favored over Chile on the odds.
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Going off as a -130 favorite to win the tournament, Argentina is a -360 betting favorite to beat Venezuela in regulation time at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Venezuela would pay +800 on an upset in regulation and +400 to force extra time.
Through three wins in the group stage, Argentina scored 10 goals while giving up only one, asserting its dominance with a +9 goal differential. The only other team to allow just one goal in the group stage was Venezuela, who picked up clean sheets in 1-0 wins over Uruguay and Jamaica and played Mexico to a 1-1 draw.
Venezuela’s solid defense will get its toughest test of the tournament against Lionel Messi and a relentless attack from Argentina. In 21 games against Venezuela since 1956, Argentina is 20-1, including a 3-0 win in the most recent meeting between these two teams in 2013. The winner of this game will play the United States in the semifinals.
In the late game on Saturday, Mexico (+155) clashes with Chile (+170) at Levi’s Stadium. The game going to extra time would pay +200 on the three-way odds.
These two teams have plenty of recent history against one another with three matches over the last two years. Chile and Mexico played to a 0-0 draw in a 2014 match, a 3-3 draw in the 2015 Copa America and a 1-0 Mexico win in a friendly earlier this month.
This is an interesting matchup for both teams. Mexico is a popular dark horse option in this tournament with a talented young team and an extremely strong support group on American soil. Chile is the defending Copa America champion, and its only loss in the group stage came against tournament favorite Argentina.
Mexico’s form cannot be overlooked coming into this game as El Tri is unbeaten in its last 22 games including a current run of 11 wins in its last 12 games.
