Argentine take on Ecuador in quarterfinal match of CONMEBOL Copa America 2024. The match will be played on Friday, July 5th at NRG Stadium (Houston, TX).
I don’t think anyone doubted that the reigning world champions would advance to the Copa knockout stage from first place. In their group, Argentina secured three wins with class, successively defeating Canada (2-0), Chile (1-0), and Peru (2-0). In two of the three matches, the bet on a -1 handicap for the "Albiceleste" brought a profit, and in the other, it resulted in a push. All the victories were absolutely deserved; in all the games, Argentina was significantly better than their opponents in terms of xG. In the upcoming duel against Ecuador in the tournament’s playoffs, Lionel Scaloni's team are the clear favorites.
| 2 x £10 Free Bet | Review | |||
| 100$-500$ for No Lose Free Bets | Review | |||
| 100% up to £200 | Review | |||
| Not available | Review |
Group "B" of the Copa America was sensationally won by Venezuela. While most football enthusiasts expected to see Mexico and Ecuador in the playoffs, it was the South American representatives who advanced to the quarterfinals. However, it's fair to say their performance in the group stage wasn't particularly impressive. In the very first round, due to an early red card, they lost to Venezuela (1-2). They then confidently defeated Jamaica (3-1), who overall failed in the tournament. And in the battle for the second playoff spot from Group "B", the Mexicans looked much stronger than the Ecuadorians. They outshot their opponents (18-8), had more corners (5-2), and were better in xG (1.16 - 0.47). Yet, the South Americans held on for the needed 0-0 draw and advanced to the tournament’s quarterfinals, which, in my opinion, is their ceiling.
They have been progressing through the tournament calmly and confidently, and given the level of their opponent, I don’t see any reason why this progress should be halted. The "Albiceleste" didn’t concede a single goal in the group stage. I don’t think Ecuador will be able to trouble the world champions' goalkeeper either. They couldn't do it in their World Cup 2026 qualifying match, nor in the friendly match that followed. How many goals Argentina will score depends on the mood of the favorites. If the team is in form, they are capable of scoring two or even three times. However, it's also possible that the match could end with a routine scoreline of 1-0. Therefore, I consider a bet on a -1 handicap for the nominal hosts to be one of the most reasonable options.
Prediction for the match: Argentina to win with 0.0 handicap.
