After losing to Colombia in the first round of Copa America, Argentina are now looking to bounce straight back with a win over Paraguay. The two are playing at the Mineirão Stadium in Belo Horizonte and Argentina are expected to attack, Paraguay are expected to defend. If you want to wager some money on this game, make sure first to read our Argentina vs Paraguay prediction and betting tips!
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Argentina
Argentina had more goal attempts than Colombia but their players just weren’t too accurate. Actually, the problem is not only with the attack. A much more serious problem is the one at the back. Colombia had only two shots on goal, both of which were successful.
Argentina’s defense is to blame for the loss to Colombia but in the game with Paraguay, they probably won’t have too much work to do. As Paraguay players are expected to defend with all they got, Argentina will be in charge of attacking.
Luckily for them, the final third is where they’re the strongest. That’s where they have Lionel Messi, arguably the best player in history. We also mustn’t forget Sergio Aguero, who had a couple of decent chances against Colombia.
They do have the quality to find the net against Paraguay on many occasions and they also have the motivation for that. They need to aliment their fans for the disappointing defeat at the start of the tournament and a big win over Paraguay could be the perfect solution. And that’s exactly what out Argentina vs Paraguay prediction is!
Paraguay
They played 2:2 with Qatar in the first round, which is a disappointing result for a number of reasons. First of all, Qatar is the worst-ranked team of all the teams competing in this tournament. All of their players are based in clubs from the Qatari domestic league.
Another reason why they should feel ashamed of themselves is that Qatar outplayed them in most parts of the match, especially during the second period. And if they allowed goals against Qatar, who knows what’s going to happen against Argentina?
One thing is certain, though. Paraguay are going to play extremely defensively. They’re probably going to have Oscar Cardozo as the lone striker up front, while the other 10 men are going to spend most of the time far behind the center. And they are probably going to have a dedicated player whose only role is to keep an eye on Messi.
But, can all this help them save their net? I honestly doubt it. They should be able to resist Argentina’s attacks for some time, but once their defensive wall breaks, there’s no turning back. Once they allow the first goal, I expect an avalanche of goals to follow – that’s one of my Argentina vs Paraguay betting tips.
Possible Lineups
Argentina
Armani – Foyth, Otamendi, Saravia, Tagliafico – Paredes, Pizarro, Lo Celso, Di Maria – Messi, Aguero
Paraguay
Fernandez – Balbuena, Alonso, Valdez, Arsamendia – Ortiz, Rojas, Almiron, Perez, Dominguez – Cardozo
Argentina vs Paraguay Prediction
Argentina need to win this and they need to win it with style. It’s not just about the points; it’s also about their confidence. They have an incredibly powerful final third, which is something they didn’t show against Colombia. But, I’m certain they will show it against Paraguay.
We should see a big win here for Argentina and the main architect of that win should be their captain Lionel Messi. He could score a goal or two in this game as well.
Argentina vs Paraguay Betting Tips
- Argentina @1.45 (bwin)
- Lionel Messi to Score Anytime @1.83 (SkyBet)
- Argentina -2.5 (AH) @4.60 (Unibet)