Copa America: Argentina vs. Chile Preview, Odds, Prediction

Copa America kicks off this Sunday night, and already on the second day of the competition, we have one massive derby, between Argentina and Chile. These two sides have had a history of important and fierce matches in the past several years, many of them having huge significance. It’s the reason for intensifying the rivalry on the field between these two countries. Therefore, Monday’s clash will be a delight to watch, and we highly recommend seeing it.

Preview

Argentina (-166) are heavy favorites coming into this event. The two-time world champs have pretty much all their best players involved, with Leo Messi leading the way along with Sergio Aguero, Lautaro Martinez, and Angel Di Maria.

Gauchos are without a loss for 13 straight matches, posting seven wins and six draws during that stretch. Three of those draws came in the past four games, against Paraguay, Chile, and Colombia, while the only victory came against Peru on the road.

Unlike before, the Argentinians are allowing goals frequently. It is something that hasn’t been their characteristic in the recent past. It is a good thing, though, that they have unreal attacking potential and players who easily cover up all this. That is why 8 of the latest 11 games saw both teams scoring.

According to many, Chile (+500) is washed out, and to be honest, this claim is not far from the truth. Yet, Martin Lasarte’s side is still capable of shining, and you can never know when that will happen, which is, believe it or not, Chile’s biggest advantage.

For example, they are massive underdogs here, and only recently La Roja managed to snap one point from Argentina in the World Cup qualifiers. Over the previous six games, they have two wins, three draws, and a loss which is not that bad.

But here comes the shocking thing for all those who follow Chile. They both scored and allowed at least one goal eight times in the previous 10 contests. It was something unimaginable a few years ago. Also, six of seven latest events ended with 2 or 3 goals.

Latest News

There aren’t any players in the Argentinian team that might skip this event. The only notable news is that Sergio Aguero won’t start, with Lautaro Martines filling in for the new Barcelona member.

Alexis Sanchez has a minor muscle injury, but he should be ready for this matchup.

Head to Head Games

Over the past few years, these teams met twice in the Copa America finals, and Chile won on both occasions in 2015 and 2016.

The last game on June 4th ended 1-1, and just one in the previous five saw over 2.5 goals.

Prediction

We will follow the tradition here and bet on low efficiency, because that seems much safer than any other pick. The Gauchos are favorites, but their win carries a solid risk, with not such great profits, and we don’t want that.

Since this is the opening game of the tournament for both teams, we can expect to see a cautious approach and defensive-minded tactics, thus increasing the chances for seeing a dull and low-scoring affair.

Pick: Under 2.5 goals -125