After a surprising 2-2 draw with Guadalupe in the first round of the 2023 Gold Cup, Canada is looking for its first win of the tournament. Canada was a -455 underdog ahead of that game, and something similar is the case ahead of the game with Guatemala on Saturday, July 1. At the moment of writing, John Herdman’s men are seen as -300 favorites.
Guatemala vs. Canada Odds
| Moneyline | Odds |
|---|---|
| Guatemala | +650 |
| Draw | +370 |
| Canada | -300 |
| Goals Total | Odds |
|---|---|
| Over 2.5 | -132 |
| Under 2.5 | -106 |
*Odds taken from Fan Duel on Thursday, June 29, 2023.
When, Where, and How to Watch?
- Place: Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, Texas
- Date: Saturday, July 1, 2023
- Time: 10:00 PM ET
- How to Watch: Fox Sports (United States), Fubo (Canada)
Guatemala to Defend With All 11 Players
Guatemala is topping the Group D table with three points thanks to a win over Cuba in the first round of the 2023 Gold Cup. The final score was 1-0 for Luis Fernando Tena’s team, but it could’ve easily been a much bigger win. The thing is that the Guatemalans were creating chance by chance by chance throughout the game.
This time, they’ll almost certainly go all-in on the defense. If they failed to score more than one goal against Cuba, they probably won’t score more against Canada. Plus, considering that they’ve already got three points, their goal in Saturday’s game will probably be a draw, which would bring another point their way.
Canada Needs to Do Much Better This Time
It seems that the Canadians still aren’t over the 2-0 loss to the USMNT in the final of the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League. In the first game after the loss, they played 2-2 with Guadeloupe. It was an embarrassing result for Canada, although the fact is that coach Herdman did not bring Canada’s best players with him to the United States.
Canada is without several of its big stars in the 2023 Gold Cup, including Alphonso Davies, Cyle Larin, Jonathan David, and others who play in major European soccer leagues. Instead, the core of the current roster is made up of players from the MLS. Toronto’s Jonathan Osorio is Canada’s arguable best midfielder, while his teammate Richie Laryea is one of this team’s key defenders.
There are also a couple of teams from lower leagues over the pond, most notably Junior Hoilett, who’s currently employed at Reading, a team from the English League 1 (the third tier of the English soccer league system).
Guatemala vs. Canada Prediction
Canada’s Gold Cup roster isn’t that great, which explains why Herdman’s boys struggled in the first round. We think they’re going to struggle in the second round as well. Another draw wouldn’t surprise us, while “under 2.5 goals” seems like a certainty for this game.
Pick: Guatemala and Canada to draw; under 2.5 goals