Argentina and Colombia set down a monumental clash in the semifinals of this year’s Copa America tournament. Gauchos cruised past into the finals beating Ecuador in the quarterfinals, without some considerable trouble. At the same time, on the other side, Colombia defeated Uruguay following a penalty shootout, earning their place in the top four even though the bookies saw them as huge underdogs. Will Cafeteros be able to stop Lionel Messi? Argentina’s No.10 has been incredible since the tournament started, playing his best football in recent years. And we all know how that looks like.
The winner of this game will be rewarded with a crunch clash against tournament hosts Brazil in the finals.
Preview
Argentina made it to the semifinal of Copa America for a 5th time in six editions and Colombia stand in between them and fifth final appearance.
In the last edition, they were beaten in the Semifinal by Brazil, but eventually went on to clinch the third place at the expense of Chile.
This time, things are looking good for Messi and co as the team grew into a solid unit as the tournament grew. The 3-0 convincing win the quarter final against Ecuador was nothing less than expected, though they have scored a few more if not for some unlucky blocks and woodwork.
Lionel Messi scored a brace from freekick for Argentina’s third against Ecuador has now taken his tally in the tournament to 4 goals, 3 of them came in the latest two games.
Argentina are one of the two unbeaten teams in the competition alongside Brazil, having conceded just 2 goals from the competition.
Colombia needed penalties to defeat Uruguay. It was a drab 90-minutes, yet the Cafeteros had better chances with Duvan Zapata and Luis Díaz coming close to score.
David Ospina became the hero in penalty shootout on the day he made a record 111th appearance maker for the Los Cafeteros, saving twice while his team-mates made a 100% conversion from the spot.
It has been a hot and cold tournament for the Colombians so far, often blunt in attack though they have two world class strikers in Zapata and Muriel, so far ineffective and the team managed to score just 2 goals from the 5 matches played so far.
Form Guide: Argentina
Argentina have their sights set on the final, where a potential match up with Brazil awaits. They struggled a bit in attack in their opening three games of the competition, scoring just three goals, but that has all changed in the last two matches. Argentina have scored seven goals in two games. Lionel Messi has four goals in the five matches played and after his performance in the last game and he will be a key player here. They have four straight wins ahead of this game, and three clean sheets in the last four matches, while they have scored in each of their last 16 matches. Right before this competition, Argentina and Colombia met, with Argentina losing a two-goal lead to see the clash end 2-2. They are unbeaten in 18 matches winning 11 of them.
Form Guide: Colombia
While Argentina thrashed Ecuador 3-0, Colombia had to go all the way to post match penalties before seeing off Uruguay after a 0-0 draw in regular time. Colombia have made it to the semis with just one win in the five matches at the tournament so far. They have no outright win in their last four matches, with their only victory at this competition coming in the opening game, against Ecuador. The only positive though is that they have three clean sheets in five matches. In their last 10 matches, Colombia have managed just two wins and going into this game, they have two losses in the last three matches. In the 2019 Copa America edition, they beat Argentina 2-0 and that’s one of the three straight unbeaten outings they hold against Argentina going to this game.
How the match could go
Argentina are in fine form going to this game and their performance in the last game will pass as a big statement of their intentions going forward. Colombia, on the other hand, has struggled for the better part of this competition. While they are struggling to score, Argentina are free scoring, which leaves Colombia as the outright underdogs here. Basing on recent form, a win for Argentina is the most possible outcome here.
Betting Tips and Predictions
Argentina to progress
For obvious reasons stated above, Argentina are the better side right now and their form suggests so. They currently hold an 18-game unbeaten run and it’s easy to see why bookies have them as the favorites to win. They’ve also been the much better side in this competition whereas Colombia have largely struggled. All indications point to a win for Lionel Messi and company. Bet365 have 1.35 odds, Bet9ja have 1.38 and 1xbet have 1.40.
Under 2.5 Goals
Perhaps, this seems like this is the best Copa America game to bet Under 2.5 goals on. Colombia has had a 60% success rate with this wager since the start of the competition, which is also true for Argentina. One thing we can take from the favorites’ match history is that it only gets over 2.5 goals in its games when playing a lower-tier side. Facing off Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, and Peru, Argentina never had over 2.5 goals. Head-to-head, six of their last 10 meetings have had under 1.5 goals in them! Not Under 2.5, but 1.5! Bet365 have 1.53 odds, Bet9ja have 1.54 and 1xbet have 1.59.
Both teams to score – No
Playing against each other, this wager has been doing remarkably well. We can spot only 2 matches in their last 10 that saw both sides score a goal. Colombia has also not been as convincing with its scoring as it would like to. Finding the net 3 times in the most recent 5 Copa America games could hint at trouble, especially after failing to even score vs Venezuela. On the other hand, Argentina is very likely to score, because they have not gone goalless in over 10 games now. Bet365 and 1xbet have 1.61 odds while Bet9ja have 1.64.
Anytime Goal-scorer (Argentina)
Lionel Messi
Messi, who is currently without a club as his contract with Barcelona expired, reached up to four goals and four assists in this tournament, being the frontrunner for the best player award. We are more than sure that Messi’s motivation is at the highest possible level. His future is at the crossroad, Argentina has a chance to beat Brazil in their own house, which would be an incredible way for him to win the first trophy with the national team. Bet365 have 1.90 odds for him to score while Bet9ja have 2.35.
Lautaro Martinez
The young forward comes off the back of a prolific season, where he impressed for Inter Milan. He has been decent for Argentina as well and has recently hit form with two goals in his last two games for his side. Reports claim Sergio Aguero could start but given the current form of Martinez, it’s hard to see a scenario where he’s dropped. Bet365 have 2.87 odds while Bet9ja have 3.00.
Anytime Goal-scorer (Colombia)
Duvan Zapata
Yet to score in the competition, he’s been dangerous on a number of occasions and also came close to grabbing his first last time out against Uruguay. The Atalanta man bagged 15 goals for his side last term and has formed a fruitful partnership in club colors with fellow forward Luis Muriel. Now more than ever, they’ll be hoping they can re-ignite their spark on the international stage as well. Bet365 have 3.50 odds for him to score while Bet9ja have 4.55.
Luis Muriel
In Luis Muriel, we have another Atalanta star who also largely impressed last term and was a key figure in La Dea’s run to secure Champions League. His 22 goals saw him end the season as their top-scorer and it’s no surprise he is currently being chased by top teams in Italy. Also yet to score in the competition, this could come as a chance to remind everyone about his quality and he’ll be eager to break his duck here. Bet365 have 4.33 odds while Bet9ja have 4.55.
Football Lover. All-round junkie of the beautiful game. Could be found watching football most of the time. If not he’s writing about them or making some punditry you don’t agree with. A certain bias for Arsenal and Santos FC.
