Argentina vs Chile
14 June 2200hrs
Football – International – Copa America
Pick Argentina
Bookmaker Betvictor
Odds: 8/11 odds taken 2000 GMT, Friday 11 June
Argentina and Chile get their Copa America campaigns underway on Monday evening as the two rivals go head to head in Rio de Janeiro.
Table of Contents
Argentina Preview – Can Sandefjord get a first home victory and begin climbing the table?
Lionel Scaloni’s preparations for this tournament has been chaotic to say the least having been looking forward to a home championship only for it to be moved at the last minute. Whatever advantage they may have had for playing in their own country is lost and it’s all about how this group of players reacts over the coming weeks – starting with this game. Scaloni will be hoping his team can improve on their third place finish two years ago.
They were eliminated by hosts Brazil at the semi-final stage before going on to beat Chile in the third and fourth place playoff.
Argentina’s more recent form has been promising but frustrating at the same time. They’re unbeaten in their last 10 games – winning five of those. There’s no doubt Scaloni would have been hoping for more in their last two matches. Argentina took the lead in World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Colombia but were unable to hold on to either, with both games ending in draws. They remain well placed to reach the World Cup next year, however, currently in second spot.
Lionel Messi will again have the hopes of his county on his shoulders. The captain is making a sixth appearance at the tournament and has suffered heartbreak losing in three finals. He’ll be hoping this year is finally the time he wins a major honour with his national team.
Chile Preview – Are Molde going to get back to winning ways to keep pace with the leaders?
Martin Lasarte is just a few months into this role as head coach of Chile and it’s been more a steady rather than spectacular start to life for the Uruguayan. Chile’s two competitive games under Lasarte have been 1-1 draws – the aforementioned game away to Argentina and a disappointing stalemate at home to Bolivia. Chile have work to do to make it to Qatar, they’re only seventh in the South American section having played six games.
A fourth place finish two years ago brought an end to Chile’s four year reign as Copa America champions having successfully defended the title they win in their own country back in 2015, in the United States a couple of years later. They beat Argentina in both finals.
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There remains a core of the players who participated in both those triumphs but they’re older now and the quality coming through is not quite there so there remains a reliance on the veterans of the squad.
As such, Claudio Bravo, Guy Medel, Arturo Vidal, Alexis Sanchez and Eduardo Vargas will have the expectation on them once again as they attempt to win their third Copa America in four attempts.
Argentina vs Chile Betting Advice
These two teams are in a group with Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay and both will be expecting to make it through to the quarter-finals considering four of the five teams from each section will make it through to the next phase.
With World Cup qualifiers taking place earlier in the month it’s a slightly different feel to it as Argentina and Chile have met as recently as the 4th of June.
Key Facts – Argentina vs Chile Betting Tip
- Chile defeated Argentina in the 2015 and 2017 finals – winning both of them on penalties
- The teams met in World Cup Qualification earlier this month in a game that ended 1-1
- Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay are the other nations in Group A with four teams progressing to the quarter-finals
That came may have ended in a draw but it’s Argentina who have been in better form overall and they can be good enough to start their campaign with a narrow win here.
Best Betting Odds for Argentina vs Chile
