Last updated & checked: 10/08/2021
Defending Copa America champions Chile meet Colombia in the quarter final of this year’s tournament in Sao Paulo on Friday, with the Colombians viewed as favourites to reach the last four in the eyes of many observers. Carlos Queiroz’s Colombia have been in impressive form in this year’s Copa America, having won all three of their group games. They scored four goals in those three games, which included a 2-0 win over Argentina, and conceded none.
Chile have a good historical record against Colombia, and have lost only two of their last 15 Copa America matches. They have also won the competition twice in a row, and will want to maintain that record this weekend. We should be in for a cracker of a Copa America quarter final.
Colombia v Chile Prediction: Colombia 2-1 Chile
Our prediction for this game is that the in-form Colombians will triumph and knock the defending champions out of the tournament. They will have to work very hard to achieve this, though, and the game may well end up going to extra time or even penalties. We suspect that both teams will score goals, which is worth noting if you are looking for betting tips. There is plenty of attacking talent in both teams, but the Colombians have been very strong defensively in this tournament, and we do not think that Chile will be able to score more than one goal against them.
Our recommended tip: Colombia, both score
Our featured tip for this game comes from Paddy Power, who are offering odds of 9/2 on Colombia to win and both teams to score. This bet matches our prediction for how the game will turn out, and also offers some flexibility when it comes to the precise final scoreline. There are some very good attacking players on show for both sides, but Colombia have the defensive edge in this game. Chile’s recent record against Colombia suggests that they will score at least once. Recent games between these sides have tended to be tight and tense affairs, and this one should be no different.
Previous matches
These two sides have met on 38 previous occasions, with Chile winning 15 of those games. There have been 13 draws and 10 Colombian victories in that run of games. Chile have not lost to Colombia since 2012, when the Colombians won away from home 3-1 in a World Cup qualifier.
Since that defeat, there have been four meetings between the teams in all competitions, with there being three draws and one Chilean victory. That victory came in the 2016 Copa America, when Chile won 2-0 at Soldier Field in Chicago. The last meeting was in a World Cup qualifier in November 2016 in Colombia that ended 0-0.
Top 3 Copa America Bookies
Players to watch: Radamel Falcao & Eduardo Vargas
Radamel Falcao has led the line for Colombia in this tournament so far, but his presence in the starting line-up is under some pressure, thanks to the form of fellow forward Duvan Zapata. Zapata has scored twice in the tournament so far, and Falcao will have to work hard to justify his place is he starts against the Chileans on Friday. The Monaco man may well respond positively to his place being under pressure.
Eduardo Vargas tends to be viewed as a bit of journeyman striker when it comes to assessing his overall quality, but the player has a solidly consistent record for his country. He netted two goals in Chile’s opening group game, when they thrashed Japan 4-0. He has now scored at four consecutive major tournaments for Chile, and Colombia will need to keep a close eye on him on Friday in Sao Paulo.
