ARGENTINA begin the defence of their Copa America title with a Group A clash against Canada on Friday. The Argentines are looking almost unstoppable in recent times and driven by the still impressive Lionel Messi, should ease to a comfortable victory over the Canadians.
It has been an impressive couple of years for Argentina who are enjoying a huge period of success at the moment. Lionel Scaloni’s men are the Copa America title holders and also the current world champions.
Argentina have won 13 of their last 14 matches across all competitions, including a 4-1 victory over Guatemala in their final warm-up fixture before the tournament. Beyond their obvious attacking quality, that run has been driven by a sturdy defence that has kept 11 clean sheets.
Canada are playing as guests in this year’s Copa America having been included as one of the invited teams from CONCACAF. Their recent forays into international competition has yielded very little success as they lost all their matches at the 2022 World Cup before crashing at the Gold Cup last year.
The Canadians do not head into this year’s competition in the beat form having picked up just one win from their last four matches. Jesse Marsch’s men have struggled in attack, failing to score in their last two fixtures.
How the bookies view it: Argentina too strong
Argentina are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies and are priced at 3/10 by bet365 to claim the win. An unlikely victory for Canada is valued at 9/1 while a draw is set at odds of 9/2.
Head to head: Argentina unblemished
Argentina have won all three matches against Canada, although the last time both teams met was a friendly back in 2010 which ended in a 5-0 victory.
Players to watch: Messi still influential
Lionel Messi remains an important figure for Argentina and continues to be the focal point in the team. The forward has 10 goals in his last 10 appearances for the national team and is priced at 8/11 by bet365 to maintain his scoring run.
Argentina have also shown some defensive solidity in recent times, shutting out their opponents in 11 of their last 14 matches. Lisandro Martinez and Nicolas Otamendi could be the central defensive pairing and can lead the champions to a clean sheet at 4/5 with bet365.
Probable line-ups
Lautaro Martinez netted a brace in Argentina’s win over Guatemala and could be given the nod in attack ahead of Julian Alvarez. Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria are expected to provide support while Lisandro Martinez and Nicolas Otamendi should feature in central defence.
Jonathan David and Cyle Larin should partner up in attack for Canada while Alphonso Davies is expected to feature at left-back.
Argentina: Martinez, Molina, Otamendi, Martinez, Tagliafico, Fernandez, Mac Allister, De Paul, Di Maria, Messi, Martinez
Canada: Crepeau, Johnston, Bombito, Cornelius, Davies, Buchanan, Kone, Eustaquio, Miller, Larin, David
Anything else catch the eye?
Argentina have won to nil in 11 of their last 14 matches and could be set for a similar outcome at 10/11 by bet365. Given their attacking quality, they could be backed to score in both halves at evens with bet365.
With the champions expected to be dominant, they could also be tipped to win both halves at 7/4 with bet365. Lionel Messi has grabbed the opening goal in four of his last nine appearances and is priced at 9/4 by bet365 to score first on Friday.
This Copa America match between Argentina and Canada will be played on Jun 21, 2024 and kick off at 01:00. Check below for our tipsters best Argentina vs Canada prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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