Argentina to stroll past Paraguay
Argentina will be hoping to destroy all memory of their opening defeat 2-0 to Colombia, against a Paraguay side who will be kicking themselves having been two goals to the good until deep into the second half, when they were pegged back to 2-2 by Copa America debutants, Qatar. If the Argies do not manage to get past The White and Red then there will be huge questions waiting to be answered, but as he has done so many times before, Lionel Messi shows up in a big way when they so desperately need him. The Colombian defence is far stronger than the Paraguayan one, La Albiceleste were dominant for large periods of their opener just fluffing their lines in front of goal somewhat.
Lionel Messi
The man can decide the outcome of a match on his own, and with mainly a mediocre supporting cast at international level, he will have to be at the top of his game to ensure Argentina do not fail. The soon to be 32-year-old has 67 international goals but is yet to win a trophy, devastatingly losing the last two Copa America finals on penalties to Chile. Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal’s UEFA Nations League triumph may spur the Argentine on to prove a point in this tournament.
Recent form
Argentina have lost their most recent three encounters with CONMEBOL nations, but Paraguay are a far weaker proposition. They have only won one of their last nine and their last three goals conceded have all been in the second period. All of Argentina’s last five Copa America victories have been over nations outside the Fifa rankings’ top 20. They have also been by three goals or more in margin, so they will be confident of brushing the Paraguayans aside. With the third-place qualification possibility, a loss would not be game over for either side but with Paraguay’s final group game being against leaders, Colombia, losing on Thursday would realistic crush their hopes of progression.
Ones to Watch
Derlis Gonzalez, a relative unknown going into the tournament now has two in as many games for the White and Red after putting his side two goals ahead on Sunday evening. The 25-year-old is familiar with playing in Brazil, currently on loan at Santos from Dynamo Kyiv, a former Benfica youth graduate, Gonzalez has bagged seven from his 35 caps. There has been much hype of late surrounding Real Betis attacking midfielder, Giovani Lo Celso, with him said to be on the radar of Tottenham Hotspur as a potential Christian Eriksen replacement.
Messi to lead by example and be instrumental in an easy win for the Argies against a fairly inexperienced Paraguay. I would expect the opening exchanges to be quite tight with Paraguay sitting back but once the first goes in they will have to come out and attack Argentina, which could lead to more goals.
Argentina – Paraguay Betting Tip
Argentina to Win by 2+ goals with Bet365 at odds of 5/4.
Post bet chat Marcus's Tips:
Way off the mark here as the game finished 1-1. Messi did get on the scoresheet from the penalty spot though in a disappointing result. Paraguay missed from 12 yards on 62 minutes, if that had gone in then Group B would be interesting. As it stands a win against Qatar in the final group game would be enough for Argentina should Paraguay fail to beat Colombia, who have been confirmed as group winners.