Phil Agius
Show Bio
The Copa America comes to the box-office conclusion many fans were hoping for on Saturday night as South American heavweights Brazil and Argentina clash at the famous Maracana Stadium.
Argentina topped Group A with three wins over Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia after an opening tie with Chile, beat Ecuador 3-0 in the quarter-final and got past Colombia in a penalty shootout in their semi-final.
Brazil also collected ten group points with wins over Venezuela, Peru and Colombia before a tie with Ecuador. The Samba Stars scored 1-0 wins over Chile and Peru in their two knockout games.
Let’s look at our parlay for the Copa America final, which pays 13/1 with DraftKings Sportsbook.
Argentina ML
Lionel Messi anytime goalscorer
Both teams to score
Parlay odds: +1300
Now we’ll look at each leg in turn, showing the reasoning behind it.
Argentina ML
Argentina is unbeaten in its last 19 games and while Brazil star Neymar said this week he wanted to face Brazil’s great rivals in the final, he made be left to regret those comments.
Argentina is a strong side full of talented players and it’s on a 19-game unbeaten streak that includes a 1-0 win over Brazil in a friendly in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia in November 2019.
There’s little to choose between the teams on their tournament form. Argentina had a tough time against Colombia in the semi-finals, while Brazil had beaten them 2-1 in the group, but that success came through a Casemiro goal in the tenth added minute, and the Selecao had trailed for more than an hour until a 78th-minute equalizer from Roberto Firmino. That makes Argentina value odds as the outsider to win a trophy it has not lifted since 1993.
Read our +2139 England vs. Italy Same Game Parlay
Lionel Messi to score at anytime
Argentina legend Lionel Messi netted the decisive goal in his team’s win in the last head-to-head clash with Brazil and he could make the difference again to close out a tournament which has seen him score four times already.
He has scored three times in the last three games and also provided the assist for Lautaro Martinez’s semi-final strike.
The soccer magician’s contract with Spanish giants Barcelona has ended and while he is expected to stay, a strong show in the final would do him no harm in the negotiations for his next deal.
Don’t forget to check out our predictions for the Euro 2020 final!
Both teams to score
Brazil have recorded two shutouts in the knockout games but they will find it much harder to keep out Argentina — and its defence was breached in two of their group games.
Argentina has conceded three goals in the tournament but, again, this is by far the best offense it has faced.
Brazil will be under pressure to perform at home, while Argentina, desperate to win the trophy for the 34-year-old Messi, and stung by losing in four of the last six Copa America finals, is likely to take a positive approach to the game too.
Want more soccer picks? Read our CONCACAF Gold Cup preview and best bets, including a +1800 longshot!
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