ARGENTINA continue the defence of their Copa America title with a Group A clash against Chile. The Chileans have a knack for making things difficult for the Argentines but the champions boast multiple threats these days and should edge a closely fought encounter.
Chile have been a bogey team for Argentina at the Copa America in recent times, beating the world champions in the 2015 and 2016 finals. The likes of Claudio Bravo, Alexis Sanchez and Eduardo Vargas – who all played in both tournaments – are still in the current squad.
Despite the presence of these experienced players, Chile still looked a bit off colour in their opening fixture at this year’s tournament. Ricardo Gareca’s men were held to a 0-0 draw by Peru as they could only muster a single attempt on target.
Argentina began their campaign with a 2-0 victory over Canada in their opening Group A fixture. They were largely untroubled for much of the encounter with goals from Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez getting them the goals.
The Argentines have a myriad of options at their disposal, with Martinez impressing off the bench while the likes of Enzo Fernandez and Alejandro Garnacho did not feature. Lionel Scaloni’s men have now won 14 of their last 15 matches across all competitions, keeping 12 clean sheets in that run.
How the bookie view it: Argentina favoured
Argentina have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 4/9 by Betfred to claim the win. A victory for Chile is valued at 6/1 while Betfred is also offering odds of 11/4 for a draw.
Head to head: Chile often problematic
Argentina have a 15-5 advantage with seven draws from 27 previous matches against Chile. However, the Chileans emerged victorious in the 2015 and 2016 Copa America finals while the most recent meeting was a 2022 World Cup qualifier which ended 2-1 in favour of the Argentines.
Last five H2H duels:
- 28/01/2022 (World Cup Qualifiers) – Brazil 2-0 Costa Rica
- 14/06/2021 (Copa America) – Costa Rica 0-1 Brazil
- 04/06/2021 (World Cup Qualifiers) – Costa Rica 0-1 Brazil
- 06/09/2019 (International Friendly) – Brazil 4-1 Costa Rica
- 06/07/2019 (Copa America) – Costa Rica 2-5 Brazil
Players to watch: Messi still haunting Chile
Lionel Messi was a bit wasteful for Argentina in the opening fixture and will be keen to set things right. The forward has found the net in two of the last three meetings against Chile and is priced at 23/20 by Betfred to get on the score sheet.
With Chile looking off colour in attack, Argentina will be targeting another shutout on Wednesday. Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez looked solid together at centre-back in the opening fixture and can lead the champions to another clean sheet at 4/5 with Betfred.
Probable line-ups
Despite scoring off the bench last time out, Lautaro Martinez is likely to be used as a substitute once again with Julian Alvarez expected to start. Messi and Angel Di Maria should retain their place in the team while Alexis Mac Allister is set to continue in midfield.
The Chileans will be keen to retain the experience in the team and could stick with the XI that started the opening game. Eduardo Vargas should start in attack with Alexis Sanchez providing support.
Argentina: Martinez, Acuna, Martinez, Romero, Molina, Paredes, De Paul, Mac Allister, Di Maria, Messi, Alvarez
Chile: Bravo, Suazo, Diaz, Lichnovsky, Isla, Pulgar, Nunez, Valdez, Davila, Sanchez, Vargas
Anything else catch the eye?
Argentina’s defensive solidity has been vital in recent times and having won to nil in the opening fixture, a repeat could be considered at 11/10 with Betfred. Given the attacking quality in the team, the champions could be backed in the -1 handicap market at 6/4 with Betfred.
The Argentines often find their way to goal and could be backed to score in both halves at 6/4 with Betfred.
This Copa America match between Chile and Argentina will be played on Jun 26, 2024 and kick off at 02:00. Check below for our tipsters best Chile vs Argentina prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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