Brazil v Colombia betting tips: Neymar aims to continue hot streak
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Defending Copa America champions Brazil hope to maintain their perfect start to the group stage in a battle of the top two in Rio de Janeiro.
Brazil defeated Peru and Venezuela 3-0 and 4-0 respectively in their opening two matches and are 1/2 to beat Colombia, who are playing in their final group game.
The Selecao are 4/6 favourites to win Copa America for a 10th time, so let’s look at some of the markets and odds in our Brazil v Colombia betting tips.
Match Odds
Brazil coach Tite rotated his squad for the win against Peru, who defeated Colombia 2-1 three days later, so the signs do not look good for Reinaldo Rueda who returned as national coach six months ago.
The five-time world champions have won their last nine matches, eight of which came without conceding, and are 6/5 to win to nil or 6/4 for a victory by over 2.5 match goals.
They can also be backed at 27/20 to be ahead at half-time and full-time as they were against Venezuela and Peru.
Both of their opening goals came in the first half an hour and we go 15/8 for Brazil to be leading after 30 minutes or 8/5 on them to score in both halves.
However, Colombia have drawn and conceded in their last two meetings with Brazil which can be backed at 9/2 but a goalless draw with Venezuela last time out and an underwhelming 1-0 victory over Ecuador at the start of the group phase mean they look unlikely winners at 13/2 or even 29/10 to get a draw.
Neymar bagged his 64th goal in 103 appearances in the win against Peru to move past Ronaldo and become Brazil’s second greatest all-time scorer, nine behind Pele, and he is priced at 9/5 to get exactly one goal as he has in the first two games.
Talking Tactics
Tite made five changes for Thursday’s crushing victory and he could shuffle the pack once more and alter the system having changed the 4-3-3 against Venezuela to a 4-4-2 for the clash with Peru.
Neymar started in both games, however, as did Gabriel Jesus, although the Manchester City man played on the right wing against Peru.
Counterpart Rueda went with a 4-4-2 in the first two games, playing Atalanta strikers Luis Muriel and Duvan Zapata up front without success in the goalless draw with Venezuela, but changed to 4-2-3-1 formation for the defeat by Peru, with Miguel Borja leading the line.
Goalscorer Odds
Neymar is understandably 3/1 favourite to break the deadlock, although both of his goals came in the second half as it did in the 2-2 draw with Colombia in their last meeting in 2019, so perhaps 5/4 in the anytime market looks a safer option.
Colombia striker Muriel scored both goals in that friendly win against Brazil almost two years ago and is 10/1 to draw first blood or 4/1 to get on the scoresheet with Borja 4/1 to repeat his goal against Peru, although Zapata is the favourite at 7/2 to find the net.
Match Info
Where: Estadio Olimpico Pedro Ludovico, Goaiania
When: 01:00, Thursday 24th June
How to watch: BBC iPlayer
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
