Defending Copa America champions Argentina will look to improve on their opening match and continue the charge for a second straight crown when they meet two-time winners Chile in the shadow of New York City on Tuesday.
Lionel Messi and the Argentina frontline missed a boatload of chances in the Group A opener against Canada, but managed to secure a hard-fought 2-0 victory.
The Albiceleste will know how important it is to pick up results regardless of how the performance looks, and they managed to do just that to start their campaign, leading the group a third of the way through.
Chile, meanwhile, have one a point after playing to a scoreless draw with Peru in their opener. It was a disappointing performance for a nation looking to pull themselves back to prominence, having won back-to-back Copa America titles in 2015 and 2016 but since fading into obscurity since.
Chile played to a truly hideous scoreless draw with Peru in their opener, putting just one of their 11 shots on target. They’ve had more attacking success in friendlies across 2024, but they have now been blanked in four straight competitive matches and five of their last six, a woeful goal scoring record.
If they hope to breach an Argentina defense that stood tall to a decent amount of counter-attacking quality from Canada, they must be much, much better. It’s hard to see that happening.
Argentina, meanwhile, were very strong against Canada, and while they only came away with two goals from the opening match, they had a host of chances to make the scoreline even more lopsided. If they remain that dangerous in this game, they’ll be good for a bigger haul.
BetMGM (USA) |
|
Argentina win | -210 |
Draw | +320 |
Chile win | +600 |
Both teams to score |
Y: +125 N: -185 |
Over / Under 2.5 goals |
O: +105 U: -145 |
Argentina -1.5 goals |
+135 |
Chile +1.5 goals |
-190 |
Lionel Messi was his usual self against Canada in Argentina’s opening match, and should have scored on multiple occasions. The Albiceleste players complained of how the ball bobbled on the concrete-like Atlanta temporary grass pitch, and it’s easy to see how that may have affected Messi’s finishing.
It will be nearly impossible to keep Messi — who turned 37 on the eve of the game — down for another 90 minutes. He struggled to finish chances against Canada and was locked down for stretches of the game, and still managed to produce a sensational assist on Argentina’s first goal.
Messi has terrorized Chile in recent years, exacting revenge for defeat in the 2016 Copa America final. Since that penalty shootout loss, Messi has managed a goal contribution in all four appearances against La Roja, with three goals and an assist.
Whether they’re having a good day in front of goal or struggling to finish chances, Argentina often force their opponents into conceding corners.
The Albiceleste racked up seven corners against Canada, who were contesting well with physicality and structure but still had to usher the ball out of play on numerous occasions. Angel Di Maria and Julian Alvarez were both strong out wide, and if Alejandro Garnacho gets a start on the left he could also provide verticality.
It’s a relatively high threshold to clear, but they should manage to do so en route to a comfortable win.
TV channel | Streaming | |
USA | FS1, TUDN, Univision | Fubo USA, Fox Sports GO, TUDN app/website, Univision NOW, ViX |
Canada | RDS | TSN+, RDS app |
UK | Premier Sports 1 | Premier Sports Player |
Argentina’s second match at the 2024 Copa America will be televised in the United States on FS1. There is also a Spanish-language broadcast on both TUDN and Univision. All three channels will be available to stream on Fubo, who are offering a FREE trial for new users.
In Canada, the match will be streamed by English-language rights holder TSN on their dedicated platform, TSN+. It will also be televised in French on RDS as well as streamed on RDS+.
The entire 2024 Copa America will be televised in the United Kingdom on Premier Sports 1, with streaming on their platform, Premier Sports Player.