Argentina continue their Copa America campaign with a Group A clash against Paraguay at the Estadio Nacional de Brasilia. Paraguay are often dangerous opponents but the Argentines are looking to build on their win against Uruguay and should have the edge here.
Argentina claimed their first win in the competition last time out as they edged out Uruguay 1-0. They rode their luck a few times in an open contest but secured the victory thanks to an early effort from Guido Rodriguez.
The result extended La Albiceleste’s unbeaten run to 19 matches and put them on course to progress to the knockout phase. Also pleasing to manager Lionel Scaloni will be the team’s overall performance as they were impressive going forward and created several goalscoring opportunities.
Despite keeping a clean sheet against Uruguay, there are still a few concerns about the Argentine defence as they gave away a number of chances. They have also conceded in three of their last four matches across all competitions.
Paraguay fought back from a goal down to claim a 3-1 victory against 10-man Bolivia in their previous fixture. Angel Romero netted a second half brace after Alejandro Romero had cancelled out Bolivia’s early opener.
While manager Eduardo Berizzo will be pleased with the result, he is likely to be concerned with his team’s slow start. They only came to life in the second half, after the Bolivians had been reduced to 10 men.
Paraguay have not been at their best with just one win from their last five matches. They have also struggled defensively, keeping just one clean sheet in their last five fixtures across all competitions.
How the bookies view it
Argentina have been installed as overwhelming favourites by the bookies and are priced at 18/35 by SBK to claim the win. A victory for Paraguay is valued at 15/2 by Vbet while a draw is set at odds of 16/5 with bet365.
The Argentines can ride on their win against Uruguay and should have the upper hand here.
Head to head
Argentina have a 6-3 advantage with nine draws from 18 previous matches against Paraguay. Both teams played out a 1-1 draw in a World Cup qualifying fixture back in November.
Players to watch
Lionel Messi remains the one to watch for Argentina having scored twice in his last four international matches. The Barcelona forward also had a hand in the winner against Uruguay and is priced at 4/7 by Vbet to score anytime while the first goal is set at odds of 2/1 with bet365.
Paraguay will be hoping Angel Romero will continue his fine form in front of goal following his brace in the opening fixture. The forward is priced at 15/4 by bet365 in the anytime goalscorer market while Vbet is offering 11/1 for the first goal.
Anything else catch the eye?
Argentina and Paraguay often struggle at the back and both teams could be backed to score at 13/11 with SBK. There are more options in the goals market with over 2.5 goals valued at evens with bet365 while over 3.5 goals is set at odds of 5/2 with SBK.
There are likely to be goals in both halves at 4/5 with Skybet while Argentina could be tipped to score in both halves at 6/4 with Vbet. A win and over 2.5 goals could also be on the cards for Argentina at 6/4 with bet365.
This Copa America match between Argentina and Paraguay will be played on Jun 22, 2021 and kick off at 01:00. Check below for our tipsters best Argentina vs Paraguay prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
