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Argentina vs Canada Preview
Canada kicks off Copa America 2024 on June 20 at 6:00 pm against reigning champions Argentina at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Rouges face an uphill battle with Lionel Messi and co. hopeful of lifting trophies in three straight tournaments.
La Albiceleste enters the competition following their World Cup win in 2022. Canada will relish the opportunity of causing a major upset in this historic fixture. The pressure is on the holders to defend their title, potentially opening the door for the debutants.
Argentina vs Canada Head-To-head and Key Stats
The first of two tough warmup tests for Canada came on June 6 when they travelled to De Kuip to face the Netherlands. Ronald Koeman’s team started with an experimental starting 11 but was still not short of quality. The first half ended goalless, but the Dutch dominance was clear. Canada managed just two breaks in the half. Cyle Larin came closest in the 45th minute when his shot from just outside the six-yard box deflected wide.
Canada had their work cut out and rarely threatened the Dutch goal. The second half began and the Netherlands immediately got to work. Memphis Depay scored in the 50th minute, easily breaking through the Canada defence to fire in Jeremie Frimpong’s cross. Frimpong turned goalscorer seven minutes later to double the host’s lead. Goals from Wout Weghorst and Virgil Van Dijk completed a 4-0 rout that Canada never looked competitive in.
There were fears of an even bigger embarrassment when they faced France three days later. Marsch named an unchanged team from the defeat in Rotterdam, looking for stability in a starting 11 before Copa America. Les Bleus was expectant and dominated the first half. However, Maxime Crépeau pulled off spectacular saves at close range from N’golo Kante and Marcus Thuram inside 10 minutes to keep the scores level.
Despite being under pressure for 45 minutes, Canada kept the two-time World Cup champions to mostly half chances. They came out for the second half with more attacking intent. The front line broke successfully, and Liam Millar’s right-footed shot from outside the box hit the bar on 46 minutes. The visitors continued to find breaks but lacked the quality to finish their chances. Marsch’s team defended well and kept France out at the other end to finish 0-0 in an impressive performance.
Messi led Argentina on a US tour before their Copa America opener. Lionel Scaloni’s team turned out at Soldier Field on June 9 to face Ecuador for the first of their warmup games. The reigning Copa America champions edged past their opponents in an uneventful 1-0 victory. Angel Di Maria scored the only goal in a game of few chances, though Argentina’s dominance in possession meant they were never under intense pressure.
They moved on to face Guatemala at FedEx Field five days later. Young midfielder Valentin Carboni was handed his first international start, though it was an otherwise experienced Argentina XI. Argentina got off to a nightmare start when Lisandro Martinez put the ball into his net in the fourth minute to put Guatemala up by one.
They replied quickly when Messi pounced on a dreadful clearance from the Guatemalan goalkeeper to tap the ball into an empty net. Lautaro Martinez buried his penalty in the 39th minute to enter the second half 2-1 up. He got his second of the game in the 66th minute before Messi also secured his brace in the 77th. That was the skipper’s 108th goal for his nation, extending his record atop the all-time scoring charts. Argentina won convincingly despite the early slip-up to head into Copa America in good stead.
This will be just the second time these nations have met and the first since 2010. Argentina dismantled the visitors on that day, winning 5-0. Nicolas Otamendi and Angel Di Maria are the only players involved in that fixture who will return 14 years later. Di Maria scored in that game and will be confident of repeating that feat here.
Argentina vs Canada Prediction
Correct score prediction: Argentina 3-0 Canada
Argentina enters Copa America 2024 as favourites to lift the trophy and this will be a perfect launching pad for their hopes. The soccer betting odds are backing them to get off to a winning start and so are we. Our soccer prediction is a 3-0 win for Argentina.
Lionel Scaloni has only lost six games since he became his national team’s manager in 2018. Throughout his reign in Argentina, he has carried familiar faces with him. Messi, Di Maria, and Nicolas Otamendi are all aged 36 and featured heavily in their World Cup win. Age has not slowed them down and their experience will see them through what has the potential to be a banana peel. They infamously lost their opening group game to Saudi Arabia in one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history in 2022. They will avoid making that mistake here.
Canada was impressive defensively in their most recent fixture. France has a string of world-class forwards, but the likes of Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud could not find their way through Le Rouges’ defence. Marsch’s team will be under significant pressure for much of this game. That display at the back can give them some confidence. However, Messi and Di Maria have masterminded wins with their forward-thinking attack in two major competitions in a row. They will find a way through here, with Julian Alvarez likely to play through the middle.
Argentina is the expert at dominating transitional phases in attack and defence. Their ball recovery skills are excellent. Should they lose possession, their ability to regain the ball and restart the attack will show. Canada will see little of the ball and will have to settle for chances on the counter. That is not an area where they have thrived in their last two fixtures. The Netherlands and France dominated possession and Canada managed just two shots on target between both games. Even more alarming is that they both came against the Netherlands. They did not test Mike Maignan even once in Bordeaux and they lack quality in attack to score on a strong defence.
Argentina vs Canada Betting Picks
A bet on Argentina is worth 7/20. The South Americans have not lost in the Copa America since their opening group game in 2019. Canada has never played in the competition and has little experience in major international tournaments. An Argentina moneyline bet offers small returns however and there are more attractive ways of backing the Copa America 2024 favourites.
Canada has failed to score in their previous two games. Those friendlies came against strong opposition in preparation for this competition opener. We can expect more of the same here. No opposition player has scored against Argentina in four of their last five games. Argentina to win to nil is 1/1 with our online sportsbook.
La Albiceleste has also been deadly in front of goal recently. They have netted three or more goals in three of their last four fixtures. We expect their world-class frontline to carry on their scoring record in this game. Betting on Argentina to win with over 2.5 goals is worth 1/1.
Betting on the top goal scorer at Copa America reveals Lionel Messi as a favourite, so it’s no surprise he small returns for a goal this week. Messi has scored four goals in his previous four starts and will lead the line for Argentina in the tournament opener. We are backing the Inter Miami man to score at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Argentina’s record in competition openers cannot be ignored, despite entering as huge favourites here. Staggeringly, they have failed to win their opening group game in all of their last four tournaments with a 0-2-2 record. Canada will see this game as a free hit and can play with a ‘nothing to lose’ attitude. They could pounce on any complacency in the Argentina camp and take advantage of their poor record in these fixtures. A bet on Canada to win has big odds at 9/1. However, we prefer a double chance Canada/Tie wager which is worth 9/4.
Argentina Copa America Squad and Predicted Lineup
- Goalkeepers: Franco Armani, Gerónimo Rulli, Emiliano Martínez
- Defenders: Gonzalo Montiel, Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, German Pezzella, Lucas Martinez Quarta, Nicolas Otamendi, Lisandro Martinez, Marcos Acuna, Nicolas Tagliafico
- Midfielders: Guido Rodriguez, Leandro Paredes, Alexis Mac Allister, Rodrigo De Paul, Exequiel Palacios, Enzo Fernandez, Giovani Lo Celso
- Forwards: Angel Di Maria, Valentin Carboni, Lionel Messi, Alejandro Garnacho, Nicolas Gonzalez, Lautaro Martinez, Julian Alvarez
- Predicted Lineup: E. Martinez, Molina, Romero, L. Martinez, Tagliafico, Lo Celso, Mac Allister, Fernandez, Messi, Martinez, Di Maria
Canada Copa America Squad and Predicted Lineup
- Goalkeepers: Maxime Crépeau, Dayne St. Clair, Thomas McGill
- Defenders: Moïse Bombito, Alphonso Davies, Alistair Johnston, Richie Laryea, Derek Cornelius, Luc de Fougerolles, Kyle Hiebert, Kamal Miller
- Midfielders: Mathieu Choinière, Stephen Eustáquio, Ismaël Koné, Jonathan Osorio, Samuel Piette, Ali Ahmed
- Forwards: Theo Bair, Jonathan David, Cyle Larin, Jacen Russell-Rowe, Tajon Buchanan, Joel Waterman, Liam Millar, Jacob Shaffelburg, Tani Oluwaseyi
- Predicted Lineup: Crepeau, Johnston, Bombito, Cornelius, Davies, Buchanan, Koné, Eustáquio, Millar, David, Larin
