Argentina vs Venezuela
The Copa America has reached the quarter final stage and Argentina is still in the competition. That may not sound like a big deal but it is!
La Albiceleste is without a trophy win since 1993, and time is running out for Lionel Messi to celebrate a tournament success with his countrymen. Lionel Scaloni’s team made heavy work of qualifying from Group B, and now faces a Venezuela team which had an altogether smoother path.
The Argentina boss is under increasing pressure to get it right.
Rafael Dudamel has forged a team which is hard to beat, mean in defence and dangerous in attack and this is by no means an easy draw for Argentina; in fact I suspect the underdogs are looking forward to the game rather more.
Talking Points
Will Argentina improve in time?
The latest Copa America 2019 betting odds have Argentina as third favourites, behind Brazil and Uruguay and alongside Colombia. But la Albiceleste was unconvincing in qualifying for the knockout phase. They scrambled together four points with a last chance saloon win over Qatar.
Now Scaloni must tell his team the slate is clean, to learn from their difficulties, particularly in losing to Colombia, but also to remember they have the best player in the planet and several other world class operators. But the head coach needs to use them all. Paulo Dybala rarely featured in the group phase but the Juventus attacking midfield man has plenty to offer. Dybala was the man who set up Sergio Aguero’s goal against Qatar so he might well be in for a start against la Vinotinto.
If Messi and Aguero get the service they require then there is no doubt they will deliver. With 68 and 39 international goals the two stars are separated in the top three all time scorers by the great Gabriel Batistuta in second, and they are above Diego Maradona.
That is some record.
No fear for Venezuela
Dudamel’s team won’t be worried by the prospect of facing Argentina, having beaten their opponents in a friendly fixture in March, in Lionel Messi’s comeback game. Top scorer Salomon Rondon was on the mark in that game and he’ll certainly fancy another crack at the Argentina defence. Rondon is now Venezuela’s top scorer of all time with 24 goals.
La Vinotinto comes into this winner takes all clash in fine form, having qualified with ease, following a comfortable win against Bolivia and a draw with hosts and hot favourites Brazil.
Darwin Machis scored a double in the victory over Bolivia and if he is on the top of his game again then the Argentina defence will have plenty to think about. They won’t be the favourites; and while Venezuela will rightly fancy their chances at the Estadio Do Maracana, it would still be major Copa America 2019 news if they can knock out Lionel Messi and Argentina.
History
The Copa America was the last trophy Argentina won, back in 1993, and that was la Albiceleste’s 14th triumph in this competition.
Venezuela’s best effort came in Argentina in 2011 when they finished fourth, but the Vinotinto did make the quarter finals five years later in the USA.
Argentina has won eight of the last 12 games played between these two teams since 2003, with two wins for Venezuela and two draws. But la Vinotinto is unbeaten in four games and unbeaten in the last three against Argentina.
Goals haven’t exactly been flowing in either of these teams’ group matches, with Venezuela’s three games yielding four in total, after two 0-0 draws, and Argentina’s three matches all featured two goals, a 1-1 draw with Paraguay then the 2-0 win over Qatar and the 2-0 opening day defeat to Colombia.
Betting Tip
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Argentina vs Venezuela | Over 2.5 goals @ 2.13 |
| June 29, 03:00 (GMT+8) |
Our SBOBET odds reckon Argentina will start to get things right with odds of 1.55 on a win for the favourites. The draw in 90 minutes is available at 3.85, while Venezuela is the clear underdog at 5.40.
The Unders and Overs market is an interesting one. While Argentina has struggled for fluency their three games have all yielded two goals. Under 2.5 goals is at odds of 1.78, and that may look likely, but I think the Over 2.5 is better value, and the difference between two and three goals is one bit of Messi magic.
It’s a tight one to call, and the most likely result is 1-0 at odds of 5.20. But 2-1 at odds of 7.00 may not be far off the mark.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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