Two of the tournament’s top competitors are part of Group D. Chile is the defending champions and Argentina is No. 1 in the FIFA World rankings and the favourite to win Copa America. Will the group stage be a walk in the park for those two, or can Bolivia and Panama shake things up?
Panama (+110) vs Bolivia (+290) – Monday, June 6, 7 PM ET
Panama (+3000) and Bolivia (+6600) are long shots to win Group D, so either team needs to win this game just to have a chance. Panama has to get goals from someone other than 34-year-old striker Luis Tejada, but it's tough to see where they will come from. Bolivia is in the same boat with 31-year-old striker Juan Carlos Arce, whose eight goals for his country are more than the rest of the squad’s combined.
Argentina (-105) vs Chile (+300) – Monday, June 6, 10 PM ET
Argentina’s 14 Copa America wins are only second to Uruguay (15). Chile kept Argentina from their 15th last year by winning their first. Argentina has a concern going into the tournament as captain Lionel Messi has a non-serious back injury, but he’s still set to play in the tournament. Chile also has a ton of talent, powered by midfielder Arturo Vidal and forward Alexis Sanchez, and the latter is looking for a good tournament after being inconsistent with Arsenal all season.
Argentina has 12 wins and five draws in 18 meetings with Chile going into this showdown in Chicago, but Chile's one win, of course, came on penalties in the final last summer. That win also came on Chile's home soil. Argentina might have revenge on their mind in what could be the best game of the entire group stage. The draw is +235.
Chile vs Panama – Tuesday, June 14, 8 PM ET
You could put either of the final games in this spot as there shouldn't be much to play for. Argentina and Chile will likely be playing for the top spot, while Panama and Bolivia should be playing for pride. Argentina is -225 to win group D while Chile is +160.
The top two teams in Group C should be Mexico and Uruguay, so that might play a role in how Argentina and Chile set up their teams for these games. They might try to get their star players some rest going into the knockout stage. Panama (and Bolivia) will be playing on the counter-attack, looking to absorb the pressure from their big-name opponents and then catch them making a mistake, but it'll be a tough mountain to climb. Chile has a win and a draw over Panama in their two meetings ahead of this game in Philadelphia.
*Odds as of June 2, 2016