Friendly Preview: Peru Meets Costa Rica Ahead Of Copa America

South Americans come looking for a positive start on their preparation, while Costa Rica aims to get ready for the upcoming Gold Cup

Peru hosts Costa Rica in a friendly encounter this coming Wednesday (5 June) looking to play into form ahead of next month’s CONMEBOL Copa America in Brazil. For the Central Americans, the goal is to prepare accordingly for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, also happening this June, and this includes a second win in a row in friendly play this year.

First things first

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First up, let’s take a recent look at the recent form of both these sides. Peru comes to the next Copa America as a strong contender and counts on a win to forget the disappointing 2-0 loss to El Salvador last March.

The Peruvians rely on the good moment of striker Paolo Guerrero, who has scored nine goals in 13 matches with Brazilian club Internacional. He is also the active player with the highest number of goals in Copa America: 11 in 19 matches played amid three editions (2011, 2015 and 2016).

On the flip side, Costa Rica has beaten Jamaica 1-0 in March, playing in front of their crowd in San Jose. The Ticos are getting ready for the Gold Cup, which will have most of its matches played in the United States – Costa Rica itself and Jamaica are the other two host countries. An important absence for Wednesday’s match will be Real Madrid goalkeeper Kaylor Navas.

Nevertheless, it is Peru who comes into this game as the clear favourite to claim the victory. You can back the home side to win at just 1.46, while Costa Rica are far out at 7.24 to do the same – a draw is priced in the middle at 4.18, according to Oddsshark.

Mexico plays Venezuela for third straight win against South Americans

Another clash between South and Central/North American teams feature Mexico and Venezuela, who will play at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, USA. A frequent participant of the Copa America, La Tri will not be part of this year’s competition but has been doing good against South Americans: the team beat Chile 3-1 and Paraguay 4-2 in March and aims for the third straight win in friendly play against rivals from that continent.

Coach Gerardo Martino has not defined Mexico’s final player list for the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup and will make some changes in the team for this fixture. Starting players like goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa and striker Andres Guardado will be benched so Martino can have an opportunity to analyze different players.

As for Venezuela, the squad recently tied in Miami with Ecuador 1-1 in their first preparation match for the upcoming Copa America. The result was disappointing for the team because the Vino Tinto led the score until the very last minute of play, when their rival made it even.

The last match between Mexicans and Venezuelans was in 2016 in Houston, also in the United States, as part of the Copa America of that year, and ended tied 1-1.

One of the favourites to win the upcoming Gold Cup, Mexico is set at 1.90 for the victory, while Venezuela are at 4.13 – not a shocking result at all. A draw is priced in the middle, at 3.44.

USA plays Jamaica in 2017 Gold Cup final rematch

Also on Wednesday, the United States faces Jamaica in Washington in a rematch of the 2017 Gold Cup final – the Americans won 2-1 in that year. This will be the final match of the US squad preparation for the continental competition. Both teams come to their 26th all-time meeting with the United States holding a 15-2-8 record overall.

The Reggae Boyz have reached the championship match in each of the last two editions of the Gold Cup but are still looking for their better form. The team comes from a 1-0 loss to Costa Rica in March prior to facing the USA.

A powerhouse in CONCACAF play, the United States comes as the clear favourite for the win at 1.30, while a surprising victory for Jamaica is priced at 10.80 – a draw is priced at 5.07.

International friendly fixtures:

Wednesday, 5 June 2019

(1.46) Peru x Costa Rica (7.24); draw (4.18)

(1.30) USA x Jamaica (10.80); draw (5.07)

(1.90) Mexico x Venezuela (4.13); draw (3.44)