Kicking off action at Copa América on Saturday night, Colombia and Panama battle in Phoenix for a quarterfinal match.

The Colombians topped a group that included Brazil by going undefeated with a pair of wins and a draw.

Meanwhile, Panama used the upset result of the United States and a victory over Bolivia to finish second in Group C.

The odds reflect that this is a mismatch, and I believe the game will play out that way as well.

Since Néstor Lorenzo was hired as manager in 2022, Colombia have been incredibly difficult to beat. In fact, the country is still undefeated under Lorenzo, owning 17 wins and six draws.

The Colombians came into this tournament ranked third in the CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying. The results included a win over Brazil and draws with Ecuador and Uruguay.

One of the keys to success under Lorenzo has been the resurgence of James Rodríguez. The playmaker has racked up three assists in this tournament.

This followed Rodríguez picking up a goal and a pair of assists in four starts during WCQ, and he’ll need to have another big performance here.

Yes, Panama do deserve some credit for advancing out of their group. However, I don’t believe the nation would be here without the Tim Weah red card.

Even with an extra man for 70 minutes, Panama were still beaten on expected goals and failed to create over one xG, according to fbref.com. This was the same squad that only generated 0.56 xG and three shots on target in the loss to Uruguay.

Colombia are on the same level as both of those tougher group games for Panama. Meanwhile, this has been a profitable bet with the Colombians.

In their two wins in this tournament, this same play would have cashed. If you go back to WCQ, this parlay would have cashed in their three victories and none of their games topped four goals.

Panama can be difficult to break down, which should lead to a low-scoring win for Colombia.