SPARKS usually fly whenever these South American titans do battle but neither Brazil nor Argentina have hit top form yet at the Copa America.
Hosts Brazil are under massive pressure to deliver but they've only truly impressed in one game so far, a 5-0 thumping of Peru in their final group game.
That suggested Tite's side had rediscovered their swagger, with Dani Alves and Willian capping the victory with two superb goals, but they followed it up with a turgid 0-0 draw against Paraguay in the last eight.
And they only squeezed into the semis thanks to Liverpool keeper Alisson, whose save from Gustavo Gomez proved pivotal in the shoot-out.
The fans haven't been slow in showing their displeasure, booing the team at several points in the tournament, but they will be right behind them against bitter enemies Argentina.
While the Brazilians have been taking stick for failing to play the beautiful game, it has perhaps been overlooked that they have yet to conceded at the Copa America. Indeed, you have to go back all the way to March for the last goal Brazil shipped, in a 3-1 friendly win over the Czech Republic.
It's six clean sheets in a row for Tite's side and if you fancy them to keep another, Bet365 offer odds of 5/4. That's probably worth a shout, especially as three of the four quarter-finals ended in 0-0 stalemates. A repeat scoreline here is 7/1 with most firms but I fancy Brazil to edge this and they're a best 10/11 with Betway.
I watched Argentina see off Venezuela in the quarter-finals and they were hugely unimpressive yet again. Lionel Messi seems weighed down by the burden of finally leading his nation to international success, admitting he is struggling to hit top form.
Boss Lionel Scaloni insists the squad are desperate to deliver a trophy for Messi, who has come up just short in three Copa America Finals and the 2014 World Cup showpiece. But unless the great man suddenly sparks back to life then it looks like this campaign will end in failure again.
Scaloni has revealed Sergio Aguero, who is also running out of time to taste success at international level, will start up front but the Manchester City star was outshone by Lautaro Martinez against Venezuela.
I had never seen the Inter Milan striker play before and was blown away by his creativity and energy. If any Argentine is going to silence the Brazilian fans, it will probably be Martinez and he's 7/2 with Ladbrokes for anytime scorer.
Casemiro is back from suspension for Brazil and will boost their midfield against an Argentina engine room that's seriously lacking in class. That should give the hosts the edge and I fancy Brazil to win by a one-goal margin, which is 113/50 at Marathonbet.
Philippe Coutinho is always worth a shout in the goalscorer markets for a tight match, given his long-range shooting ability. The Barcelona playmaker also takes Brazil's penalties so try backing him for either first scorer (13/2, Bet365) or anytime scorer (13/5, BetVictor).
Games between these nations can be pretty tasty and that explains why a red card is just 9/4 with Paddy Power. However, if you tip both teams to have a man sent off the odds rocket to 25/1 with the same firm. The odds on bookings aren't great, with over 5.5 cards just 4/6 with Bet365, but you can get more value by picking out individual players.
Argentina full-backs Nicolas Tagliafico and Juan Foyth could be given a stern test down the flanks so try backing either for a card, with both priced 2/1 at BetVictor.
This Copa America match between Brazil and Argentina will be played on Jul 3, 2019 and kick off at 01:30. Check below for our tipsters best Brazil vs Argentina prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
