Brazil are heavy 4/15 favourites to advance past Chile on Saturday, in a day of World Cup knockout-phase action featuring four South American squads.
La Seleccion will look to keep their 39-year competitive winning streak on home turf alive against an exciting Chilean squad, who are expected to be supported by a large contingent of fans in the stands in Belo Horizonte.
Chile will need all the help they can get to put a halt to a 12-game winless streak against Brazil, whom they have not beaten since recording a 3-0 win in a 2000 World Cup qualifying match.
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They are more than 5-1 underdogs Saturday and Brazil backers need to lay -200 (bet $20 to make a $10 profit) as favourites.
However, the Chileans have played well in the months leading up to the World Cup, going undefeated in six matches prior to the tourney with wins over Uruguay and Ecuador and a draw against Colombia.
La Roja also looked good in group stage action, shocking Spain with a 2-0 win and knocking off Australia 3-1 before falling to Netherlands 2-0.
Chile remains a 33-1 long shot in futures wagering, but those odds will change dramatically if they succeed in upsetting Brazil, who are 3-1 in futures betting to claim their sixth World Cup title.
Saturday’s other Round of 16 match has Group C champs Colombia taking on Uruguay. Colombia have odds of 10-21 to advance past Uruguay and reach the quarter-finals for the first time in the nation’s history.
The Colombians have quickly emerged as a force to be reckoned with in international soccer after failing to qualify for the last three World Cup tournaments. After breaking into the top of FIFA’s World Rankings and entering the World Cup draw as a top Pod squad, Colombia have not disappointed.
They dominated Group C with three wins, scoring nine goals in the process. However, they have yet to earn the respect of oddsmakers who peg Colombia below the favourites in World Cup futures betting, with odds of 18-1.
Uruguay enter their match against Colombia as 8/5 underdogs to advance. The squad must shake the controversy that has surrounded them since the suspension of superstar Luis Suarez, who will miss the remainder of the tournament.
After arriving at Brazil 2014 with respectable 22/1 odds of claiming their first World Cup title since 1950, the Uruguayans have tumbled to 40/1 in World Cup futures wagering.