In the early hours of Monday, Jamaica and Venezuela clash in their final game in Group B of the Copa America.
JamaicaThe Caribbean team has endured a poor campaign in which they lost to Ecuador and Mexico. The defeats have left the Reggae Boyz at the bottom of the group table and unable to qualify for the last eight of the competition.
The back-to-back losses came on the back of three straight international wins, too. However, the standard of the opposition at the Copa is far superior to the teams they previously defeated.
Jamaica’s poor results at the Copa is unsurprising considering their results at previous editions of the competition. They have now lost all eight games they have played at the Copa America.
At least the 3-1 defeat against Ecuador saw Jamaica end their goalless run at the Copa America, as they had failed to score in their previous seven defeats.
VenezuelaLa Vinotinto have been one of the tournament's biggest surprises, winning both their opening two Group B games against Mexico and Ecuador to book their place in the quarter-finals of the Copa America.
A 1-0 win over Mexico last time out also means that Venezuela are unbeaten in three international outings. The game was another low-scoring encounter for Fernando Batista’s team, as five of their last seven games have produced under 2.5 goals.
Before the current edition of the Copa, Venezuela were winless in their previous five games in the competition. They had also failed to score in four of the five winless matches.
Venezuela has enjoyed the better of the recent head-to-head meetings with Jamaica, winning four of the seven encounters and drawing one, but they have also lost twice.
What am I backing?Venezuela have shown their quality in the other two group matches, and I believe that their momentum will be enough to take them to victory in this clash.
