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Argentina’s quest to win back-to-back Copa America titles goes into high gear on Thursday when the knockout stages begin with their showdown against Ecuador.
The reigning champions are the heavy favorites in this match after winning each of their three group stage matches, but Lionel Messi’s fitness is a major talking point. Argentina may have enough firepower in attack to survive Messi’s absence if he doesn’t make it, but they will first have to battle Ecuador who have salvaged their Copa America campaign after a rocky start.
Here’s what you need to know before you tune in.
How to watch and odds
- Date: Thursday, July 4 | Time: 9:00 PM ET
- Place: NRG Stadium – Houston, Texas
- TV: Fox | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
- Chances: Argentina -230; Sign +310; Ecuador +750
Storylines
Argentina: Things are going so well so far for the reigning champions, who have won all their group stage matches and haven’t conceded a goal yet. They have done this with And without Messi, who played in their first two matches and assisted Lautaro Martinez’s goal against Canada, but missed the Group A final against Peru. Messi wasn’t exactly needed as they had already qualified for the quarter-finals, giving head coach Lionel Scaloni a chance to show off his depth. It was a successful trial with Martinez scoring twice, giving him four goals so far in the Copa America.
However, there is no doubt that Argentina would rather have Messi available than not. Many will be encouraged by the fact that he is back in training on Tuesday, but questions about his availability will linger until the team news comes out on Thursday. The early signs are that he will start with reports from Argentina suggesting this.
Ecuador: Ecuador were placed in a favorable group with Venezuela, Mexico and Jamaica, but had to survive a chaotic start to the competition to finish second in Group B. Enner Valencia’s red card and their subsequent loss to Venezuela meant they needed results against Jamaica and Mexico, which was in Ecuador’s favor as the Concacaf teams were far from their best during the Copa America. Valencia’s return will help matters, but the team must now prove themselves in what will undoubtedly be the competition’s toughest test yet. They will be encouraged by the fact they held Argentina to a 1-0 win in a friendly last month, but Scaloni opted to rotate that day – including benching Messi.
Predicted lineups
Argentina: Emiliano Martinez, Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez, Nicolas Tagliafico, Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez, Nicolas Gonzalez, Lionel Messi, Julian Alvarez
Ecuador: Alexander Domínguez, Angelo Preciado, Felix Torres, Willian Pacho, Piero Hincapie, Alan Franco, Moises Caicedo, Kendry Paez, Jeremy Sarmiento, Kevin Rodriguez, Enner Valencia
Prediction
This is Argentina’s game to lose and with or without Messi they will be up to the task. Expect the reigning champions to lean on several attacking players as they complete their latest Copa America win, likely to get a clean sheet in the process. Choose: Argentina 3, Ecuador 0