Colombia vs. Peru Betting Odds Preview, Copa America Prediction

Colombia finished second in Group A behind the United States, but Los Cafeteros are strong favorites to advance past Group B winner Peru in Friday’s Copa America quarterfinal matchup at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The Colombians are -180 betting favorites (wager $180 to win $100) at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark, with the Peruvians sitting as underdogs after finishing unbeaten at 2-0-1 in group play.

Match Odds: Colombia -180, Peru +475, Draw +255

This is one of those games in which seeding does not truly reflect the skill level of these teams, with oddsmakers doing a much more accurate job of measuring them against each other.

Most would argue that Colombia is better than the United States, as its 2-0 victory in the Copa America opener between them back on June 3 would attest.

In addition, Peru was the surprise winner of Group B due to a 1-0 win over Brazil, when a controversial handball led to a goal that should not have stood.

Regardless, the Peruvians are here in the quarters and the Brazilians are not, which is a shocker in itself. Peru scored the least amount of goals of any group winner and also had the lowest goal differential, yet La Blanquirroja still finished in a tie with Mexico and Venezuela for the second-most points with seven.

A tie with Brazil would have left them out of the knockout stage altogether.

Meanwhile, Colombia followed up its shutout of the United States with a 2-1 victory against Uruguay and a 3-2 loss to Costa Rica, which cost the team first place in the group. It may have worked out for the best, though, as a draw with Costa Rica or a win would have paired the Colombians up with a more difficult quarterfinal opponent in Ecuador.

However, the defeat at the hands of the Costa Ricans is still a concern for a squad considered among the favorites to win the tournament.

These teams last met in the 2015 Copa America tourney and finished with a 0-0 draw. They both went 1-1-1 in Group C and advanced to the knockout stage along with group winners Brazil. But only Peru made it as far as the semi-finals before losing 2-1 to host Chile, who went on to win the title.

That positive experience would figure to help the Peruvians at least a little bit in this spot, although the Colombians will be motivated to get to the semis this time around. This should be a back-and-forth affair, with each side seeing a fair share of scoring opportunities.

In the end, Colombia has more talent and should be able to squeak by Peru.

Colombia vs. Peru Prediction: 2-1 Colombia

All betting lines data courtesy of Odds Shark. Check out the latest Copa America news.