Canada are in the driving seat to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Copa America at their first-ever appearance at the tournament but they face a tricky test when they take on two-time champions Chile at the Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
Les Rouges have picked up three points from their opening two games and occupy second place in Group A while La Roja have only managed a single point and require a victory to stand any chance of reaching the knockout stages of the competition for the seventh consecutive time.
With Peru facing an uphill battle in needing a win against world champions Argentina to qualify for the next round, it is looking increasingly that the side joining Messi and co in the quarter-finals will come from this meeting between Canada and Chile.
Les Rouges produced a spirited fighting display in their group opener against Argentina, eventually going down 2-0 to second-half strikes from Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez and Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez.
Jesse Marsch’s side responded brilliantly in their second Group A fixture as a free-flowing counter-attack saw Lille’s Jonathan David score the only goal against Peru in Kansas City amid scorching temperatures.
With a win already on the board, and a point likely enough to see them through to the next round, Canada should feel confident that they can avoid defeat against a Chilean outfit that has failed to make headlines in the United States.
La Roja have just a solitary point from their opening two games and have won only three of their last 12 matches, so may lack the required cutting edge to take all three points in this one.
Compared to many of the groups at this year’s Copa America, Group A has failed to provide much in the form of consistent goals.
Just four goals have been scored across Group A and three of these have come from reigning champions Argentina, with Jonathan David the only other player to find the back of the net for any other nation so far.
Three of the four group games have seen no more than one goal scored and another low-scoring encounter could be in store this weekend, particularly given Chile’s struggles in this area.
Ricardo Gareca’s men have yet to find the back of the net in this tournament while they have also drawn blanks in seven of their last 12 internationals. Two of Canada’s last three games have also seen winners in the under 1.5 goals market and a repeat could be on the cards.
Neither Canada nor Chile can afford defeat in this encounter with a place in the next round at stake so there could be plenty of work for the officials in this match as the two sides battle for any and all advantages that they can claim.
Both nations rank in the top 10 for ill-discipline so far at the Copa America - with Chile third with five cards and Canada ninth with three - so there may be a number of potential suspects for bookings in this encounter.
One of these is Toulouse defender Gabriel Suazo, with the 26-year-old falling foul of the referee in the 1-0 defeat to Argentina last time out. Suazo has 41 yellow cards so far in his career and the full-back could be up against it against a fast Canadian side.
Canada | +240 |
Tie | +230 |
Chile | +120 |
Alexis Sanchez (Chile) | +240 |
Eduardo Vargas (Chile) | +240 |
Dario Osorio (Chile) | +275 |
Victor Davila (Chile) | +300 |
Ben Brereton Diaz (Chile) | +300 |
Jonathan David (Canada) | +333 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.