Tuesday Football Tips: Expect cards in Copa Sudamericana battle | OneFootball

Bet of the Day

Carlos Benitez has been churning out the cards this season

Our football props column delves into the Copa Sudamericana - the South American version of the Europa League - for a 4/1 Bet Builder on Tuesday night.

Lanus v Vasco da GamaTuesday 13 May, (01:30 Wed, BST)

The South American club competitions return this week for the penultimate round of group matches.

That means we've now got a decent amount of data to go on and patterns are emerging.

Leg 1: 6 or more cards

I've long looked out for card opportunities in these events - this tie comes in the Copa Sudamericana, the equivalent to Europe's Europa League.

A lot of cards are dished out in South America and it can pay to follow the dirty teams and the strictest referees.

We've got one of each in action here.

Lanus have received 15 cards in their four matches so far, making them the competition's most-carded team on a cards-per-game basis. Vasco's nine in four isn't great by the local standards but it's still not bad.

As for the referee, Paraguay's Carlos Benitez has been quick to go to his pocket this season.

Across the two CONMEBOL club competitions (the Copa Libertadores being the other), he's shown 43 cards in just six games. That's an average above seven.

There are two other factors I like in terms of a high card count here.

The first is that plenty remains at stake. This is first v second in Group G. Lanus know victory would send them through to the knockout stage; Vasco have similar ambitions and will want to keep their destiny in their own hands.

Then there's also the rivalry factor. Quite a few of these Argentina v Brazil clashes have exploded down the years and that is certainly worth factoring in.

All things considered, 5/6 about 6 or more cards looks worth backing.

Leg 2: Joao Victor 1+ shot

I'm going to double it up with a shots bet which simply looks too big.

Vasco defender Joao Victor has been a major target from set plays of late and he's had a shot in each of his last five games and eight of his last 11.

It's therefore surprising to me that he's out at 15/8 for a shot in this contest.

OK, Vasco are away and are the underdogs in this clash but despite being on the poor run in terms of results, there's enough encouragement in their recent shots and corners numbers to suggest Victor can do the business here.

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Recommended bets

Back 6 or more cards & Joao Victor 1+ shot @ around 4/1

Column P/L 2024/25

Staked: 292pts Returned: 308.3pts 2024/25 P/L: +16.3pts

2023/24 P/L: +16.78pts 2022/23 P/L: +68.69pts