The final opening whistle of international soccer play this summer begins Sunday at 8 p.m. ET, when Colombia meets Argentina in the Copa America final.
The match is highly anticipated, as stars Lionel Messi and James Rodriguez are set for a battle that may be talked about for years to come.
Could it be a changing of the guard, of sorts, as Messi enters the twilight of his career?
Rodriguez has played his best soccer to date in international play, posting an insane six assists during the tournament; the next highest has just two.
Are the stars aligning for the Colombian national team to reclaim glory in their finest hour?
Oddsmakers at Bet365 think it’s a foregone conclusion in favor of Argentina, placing them at -200 to lift the trophy, but beware of backing the favorite against a Colombian team that hasn’t lost in 28 matches.
Colombia vs. Argentina odds
- Colombia (+162) vs. Argentina (-200)
- Colombia (+333) | Draw (+187) | Argentina (+110)
*Odds provided by Bet365
Colombia vs. Argentina prediction
(8 p.m. ET, FOX)
These two teams have indeed played the best soccer in the Copa America tournament and are extremely well deserving of their standing in the final.
Colombia has blazed through the competition, and while their showing against Uruguay wasn’t ideal, it’s hard to tell if that game was true to their capabilities.
Colombia lost a man again due to a red card, but prior to that, they looked dominant.
With the red card, they looked like a shell of themselves, pushing far too much on offense while not getting back on defense — and frankly, they were lucky to get past Uruguay, who couldn’t capitalize in the second half.
Still, Colombia returns their full compliment of players.
An area of significant concern is Colombia’s heavy attacking style, which seems downright dominant when right but far too risky otherwise.
We saw the perilous side Wednesday.
Argentina also looked to have weakness when they faced a similar squad in Ecuador, who understandably isn’t as talented as Colombia.
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We successfully bet a Colombia win in regulation against Uruguay at +210, and we will do the same here at even bigger odds.
PICK: Colombia three-way moneyline (+333, Bet365)