Copa América
Third Place Playoff
Kick-off: Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET
Line: Peru +140, Paraguay +185, Tie +240, Total: 2.5

Peru and Paraguay meet in the consolation game of the Copa América on Friday evening.

While neither Peru nor Paraguay was able to cause an upset in the semifinal round against Chile and Argentina, respectively, they will both have a chance to leave the tournament on a positive note. And although this match is for nothing more than third place, there is plenty of pride at stake, and both teams will likely play a full strength lineup. Peru failed to make it to the finals by way of a controversial 2-1 defeat to Chile. A questionable red card that was given to defensive anchor Carlos Zambrano in the 21st minute changed the outlook of the game, and despite a valiant effort, Peru was unable to pull off the upset. In the loss, the Peruvians displayed quality, and the result could have very well been different if they were not a man down for the majority of the match. Peru will be dangerous as always in attack, led by Paolo Guerrero, who has three goals thus far, and will look to be the tournament’s top scorer for the second consecutive time (he found the net five times in the 2011 edition, including a hat-trick in the third place playoff). The aforementioned Zambrano will miss out on the action because of the red card he picked up against Chile, and who manager Ricardo Gareca will pair with Carlos Ascues in the center of defense remains unknown, and this could be a potential weakness for Peru. Paraguay, which was unable to replicate the success it had against Argentina when the two sides drew 2-2 in the group stage, suffered a humbling 6-1 loss in the semifinals. It will need to regroup quickly if it is to stand a chance against a Peru side that should be full of confidence after an impressive performance against Chile. If there was any bright spot in defeat, it was in the form of Lucas Barrios, who scored his third goal of the tournament. Derlis González, who has played well for Paraguay, could miss out due to an injury he suffered early in the game against Argentina, and his absence would deprive his team of creativity up front. Both of these teams will be playing with nothing to lose, and over 2.5 goals will be scored. History is on the side of this pick, as the last five third place playoff matches in the Copa América have seen over 2.5 goals scored. As for a winner, Peru has looked the better side, and a score of 3-1 could see the country repeat as third-place finishers at the Copa América.