The Brazilian soccer team has officially woken up. After a dull scoreless draw against Ecuador to open this tournament, they snared three points from Haiti in fine fashion. Now, a draw versus Peru will do to get the South American giants through to the knockout rounds of Copa America.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Brazil -200
Peru +650
Draw +320
Over/Under 2.5 (over -130)
ODDS ANALYSIS
It's hard to not like Brazil after watching that 7-1 thrashing of Haiti on Wednesday night. The team was all over the field, and save for a moment at 5-0 which was poor in defense in which the Haitians pulled one back, the display was as dominant as it gets.
That's only part of the reason why Brazil is set at -200 to win this match, though. The perception is there that the Brazilians are the better of these two teams by a wide margin, though if you watched the first half of the Peru/Ecuador match on Wednesday night, you might not necessarily agree.
The totals in Copa America have been creeping up as this tournament has worn on, and this third match day affair showcases a total of 2.5 and -130 vig on the over.
TOURNAMENT UPDATE
Considering the fact that both of these teams have dismissed Haiti already and have drawn against Ecuador, it's hard to say that either side has accomplished much. Peru definitely has looked the lesser of the two sides after blowing a two-goal lead against Ecuador and nearly coughing up what now looks like a significantly lesser 1-0 advantage against Haiti.
The end result for both though, is that points are mandatory. Most assume that Ecuador is going to get the maximum share of the spoils against Haiti in the other Group B match, and if that's the case, both of these teams would be eliminated with a loss.
The pressure though, is really more on Peru than Brazil. Considering the fact that Peru only beat Haiti by a goal, a multi-goal victory by Ecuador as many suspect will be the case, will mean only a win over Brazil will get the Peruvians into the knockout round.
LIVE BETTING
The real question which begs to be asked in this match is whether Philippe Coutinho and the rest of the Brazilian midfielders are going to be able to be finishers as they were against Haiti or bystanders as they were against Ecuador.
This match isn't dissimilar from the one against the Ecuadorians which opened up this tournament. There should be a huge Brazilian contingent in Boston to cheer on the perennial powerhouses, yet Peru will try to take the air out of the ball and frustrate the midfielders by staying tight and compact in the middle third of the park.
Haiti simply didn't have the athletes to stick with the B-side Brazil brought with it to the United States to Copa America. Peru though, has confidence having just played well with Ecuador for the full 90 minutes largely thanks to the five in the midfield, let by goal scorer, Christian Cueva, who was fantastic in all facets of this game.
QUICK PICK
Be very careful, Brazil. Be very, very careful.
The Peruvians have been stout over the course of these first two games. Their result against Haiti doesn't really tell the whole story and is blown out of proportion based on the way the Brazilians thrashed the same team.
It's easy to just take Brazil in this match and go on in life, but this isn't a team which is as good as the one which has been taking the pitch in South American qualifying for the World Cup – far from it, in fact.
Though we're not going to go as far as to say Peru will win this match, we definitely see a path for it to be possible. Brazil will very likely struggle to get to the last third with quality, and we think this match could easily end on level terms. It'd still be enough for Brazil to win this group and still won't be good enough to put Peru through to the last eight either, but the result will be one the fans back in Peru should be thrilled with.
Copa America Odds: Brazil 0, Peru 0
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here, so start betting with BookMaker today! The fixture between Brazil and Peru will take place at 8:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 12, 2016 at Gillette Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1.
