Argentina and Chile will battle each other at the Estadio Nilton Santos in their opening Group B fixture of Copa America. Recent meetings between both teams have been closely fought and Monday’s clash is expected to follow a similar pattern.
Argentina's final fixture before the Copa America was a 2-2 draw against Colombia in the South American World Cup qualifiers. They threw away a two-goal lead as first half efforts from Cristian Romero and Leandro Paredes were cancelled out after the break.
The Argentines were hoping to count on home comforts in this year’s tournament but were stripped of the hosting rights due to rising COVID-19 cases. They will now attempt to win their first title since 1993 at the home of their fierce rivals.
Manager Lionel Scaloni has struggled to get the best out of his team in recent times and although they are on a 13-match unbeaten run, three of their last four matches have ended in draws. They possess plenty of attacking quality but often struggle to keep things tight at the back with just one clean sheet from their last six matches.
Chile have a solid record at Copa America, emerging overall winners in two of the last three editions. While they are not considered favourites for this year’s competition, they head into their opening fixture with some confidence having beaten Argentina to win the tournament in 2015 and 2016.
Martin Lasarte's men have not had the best build-up to the competition and have claimed two wins from their last five matches. They have drawn their last two fixtures, including a 1-1 result at home against Bolivia in a World Cup qualifier on Wednesday.
Chile have enough quality in attack to trouble most teams with the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Eduardo Vargas expected to lead the line. However, like the Argentines, they also struggle defensively and have kept just one clean sheet in their last eight matches.
How the bookies view it
Argentina are considered favourites among the bookies and are priced at 3/5 by bet365 to claim the win. A victory for Chile is valued at 9/2 with the same firm, who are also offering 3/1 for a draw.
Both teams appear evenly matched at the moment and should battle to a draw.
Head to head
Argentina have a 14-5 advantage with six draws from 25 previous matches against Chile. The last two meetings have ended in stalemates, including a 1-1 draw in the World Cup qualifiers at the start of June.
Players to watch
As always, Argentina will look to captain Lionel Messi to provide the spark in attack. The Barcelona forward will have support from the likes of Sergio Aguero and Angel Di Maria and all three men can help the Argentines score over 1.5 goals at 5/6 with bet365.
Chile can also hold their own going forward with Alexis Sanchez and Eduardo Vargas expected to feature in attack. Both men carry a significant goal threat and can ensure the Chileans score over 1.5 goals at 7/2 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Argentina and Chile possess plenty of attacking quality and both teams can be backed to score at 21/20 with bet365. Over 2.5 goals is valued at 11/10 by bet365 while over 3.5 is set at odds of 3/1 by the same firm.
A halftime draw could be on the cards at 6/5 with bet365.
This Copa America match between Argentina and Chile will be played on Jun 14, 2021 and kick off at 22:00. Check below for our tipsters best Argentina vs Chile prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.