Jamaica - Venezuela predictions and free betting tips [01/07/2024]

On Monday, 1 July, as part of the third round of the group stage of the Copa America, Jamaica will face Venezuela. A 3:1 defeat by Ecuador last week dashed the "Reggae Boyz" hopes of advancing to the playoffs, while Venezuela has already secured a spot in the quarterfinals thanks to a 1:0 victory over Mexico.

Projected Line-ups

Jamaica: White; Hector, Latibeaudiere, Harding; Lembikisa, Lowe, Palmer, Marshall; Nicholson, Gray; Dixon.

Excluded from Jamaica's squad by the coaching staff's decision are Mariappa, Powell, midfielder D. Williams, forwards R. Williams and Richards (Chelsea). Additionally, fans expected much more from the experienced Michail Antonio (West Ham). Despite scoring a goal in the second round, it wasn't enough to keep the Yellow-Greens’ playoff hopes alive. Explosive winger Gray started the first match but unexpectedly stayed on the bench against Ecuador, replaced by Damion Lowe.

Shamar Nicholson, the central striker from Clermont, will likely pair with Dixon, spearheading the attack from the first minutes. Fulham's midfielder Bobby Decordova-Reid, along with Casey Palmer and Coventry's central defender Latibeaudiere, will be responsible for their own goal's reliability. Coach Hallgrimsson isn't expected to make significant rotations compared to the last round, keeping Lembikisa and Marshall on the flanks.

Venezuela: Romo; Amaburu, Ferraresi, Osorio, Navarro; Martinez, Makoun; Lacava, Savarino, Soteldo; Cadi.  Excluded from Venezuela's squad are former Lens goalkeeper Farinez, defenders Rosales (95 matches), Otero (51 matches, 6 goals), and Moreno (41 matches), as well as forward Josef Martinez (Montreal, 66 matches, 14 goals). Despite this, the coaching staff has a competitive roster featuring La Liga players such as Machis (Cádiz), right-back Aremburu (Real Sociedad).

Not to forget the experienced Rondon, defender Ferraresi (São Paulo), Toulouse’s player, Caceres, and Soteldo (Grêmio). Significant changes occurred in the starting line-up this week compared to the first Copa match: instead of Alexander Gonzalez, Darwin Machis, and Christian Caceres, Hon Aremburu, Eduard Bello, and Jefferson Savarino took the field. Solomon Rondon, the national team's top scorer, converted a penalty early in the second half against Mexico, with goalkeeper Rafael Romo securing a clean sheet by saving Orbelín Pineda's penalty in the final minutes.

Stadium

The match will take place at the Q2 Stadium in Austin.

Jamaica

Jamaica is participating in Copa America for the third time – in 2015 in Chile and in 2016 in the USA, where the "Reggae Boyz" were eliminated after the group stage each time. The Yellow-Greens’ hopes of making it to the quarterfinals were hanging by a thread by the second round, having lost to Mexico (1:0) a few days earlier. As in the previous campaigns, a 3:1 failure followed, resulting in an early exit. In the first half, Palmer unsuccessfully deflected the ball into his own net, followed by a goal from Paez. After the break, despite Antonio’s goal, the "Eagles" responded with a powerful strike from Minda in the final minutes. 

In other words, the upcoming game means nothing for Jamaica except for a victory of prestige to avoid finishing with zero points. Earlier in June, the "Reggae Boyz" triumphed over the Dominican Republic (1:0) and Dominica (2:3) in the second round of the World Cup qualifiers, currently tied for first with Guatemala after two rounds. Importantly, on Monday night, the hosts will have a chance to defeat a team from another region – the South American CONMEBOL association – for the first time since 2020.

Venezuela

Venezuela achieved a perfect result in the first round by defeating Ecuador. Already in the first half, the "Eagles" played with ten men after Enner Valencia's red card, followed by goals from Cadiz and Bello (1:2). Just a couple of days later, the nominal guests bested a solid Mexico side (1:0), decided by Rondon's penalty in the second half. This victory marked the first instance of the team winning at Copa America since a 1-0 triumph over Uruguay in 2016. Now, Fernando Batista has the chance to achieve something no other head coach has managed in this tournament – complete the group stage with a 100 percent points record.

Interestingly, if Venezuela keeps a clean sheet this weekend, they will equal their record for fewest goals conceded in their first three matches (just one in 2016 and 2019). It’s surprising, given the two recent victories, that the Yellow-Blues hadn’t won in five matches across all competitions, including defeats by Italy in a March friendly (2:1) and Colombia in late 2023 (1:0).

Head-to-Head

Since 2003, these nations have met only five times, with Venezuela winning thrice and Jamaica twice. The last encounter was at Copa America 2016, ending 1:0 in favour of the Yellow-Blues.

Match Prediction: Jamaica vs Venezuela

Jamaica boasts a quality squad, with some players featuring for top European clubs. Unfortunately, it's not enough to advance in Copa America, with all playoff hopes lost. Venezuela, on the other hand, aims to secure the top spot and will play with maximum determination. I predict a victory for the nominal guests.

Prediction on Total

Venezuela has conceded only two goals in the last three matches and currently looks very solid defensively. It's unlikely the demotivated Islanders will score even once; hence, I predict "both to score: no."

Prediction on Corners

Jamaica has quick flankers, averaging seven corners per match in this Copa America (Venezuela averages 3.5). I favour a victory for the "Reggae Boyz" in this aspect.

Prediction on Yellow Cards

Both teams have accumulated four yellow cards in this Copa America. Therefore, I predict a total of over 3.5 warnings.

Score Prediction

I predict a 0:1 scoreline in favour of Venezuela.