Copa America 2024: Uruguay vs Colombia tips and predictions - Cards galore as semi-final settled by penalties

We’ll have the pleasure of watching two early dark horses for the 2026 World Cup on Wednesday as Uruguay take on Colombia in the Copa America semi-finals.

Marcelo Bielsa has transformed Uruguay in a short space of time but Nestor Lorenzo’s Colombians, who are unbeaten in 27 matches, will provide a stiff test.

Still, it would be a stretch to label recent performances prime Bielsa ball. They exerted good control when beating the USA 1-0, but resorted to win-at-all-costs tactics against Brazil.

Dario Hererra blew his whistle 41 times in the bruising contest. It took until the 39th minute for the hapless referee to locate his cards, as Uruguay kicked seven shades of sh*t out of poor Endrick.

They were determined to deny Real Madrid’s 19-year-old prodigy time and space by any means necessary, and they may adopt similar tactics to stifle James Rodriguez.

Something about playing for Colombia elicits the forgotten figure of prime James, a gem of the 2014 World Cup who turned everything he touched the gold.

The 32-year-old mostly underwhelms for Serie A club Sao Paulo but stick a yellow shirt on him and you’ve got yourself a creative wizard.

He’s turned up five top performances at Copa America, each arguably better than the last, culminating in one goal and two assists during the 5-0 mauling of Panama.

While James tops all charts relating to the pretty side of the game, Uruguay have won possession in the final third and completed more successful tackles than any side at Copa.

They’ve also committed a healthy tally of 15.5 fouls per match. For reference, Watford set a Premier League record of 19 fouls against Arsenal in 2021. Uruguay committed 26 against Brazil.

That said, Colombia are no shrinking violet when it comes to kicking Brazilians. Or footballers of any nationality, for that matter. Stick to the card markets and bet on penalties.

 

Key stats

- The previous meeting resulted in a 2-2 draw in October
- Uruguay committed a total of 26 fouls against Brazil
- Uruguay are unbeaten in six meetings with Colombia
- Colombia are unbeaten in 27 matches across all competitions
- Colombia have averaged 15.5 fouls per match

 

Suggested bets

Uruguay to win on penalties (half stake)

Colombia to win on penalties (half stake)

Over 4.5 cards shown