Will Messi Return in Time for Copa Quarterfinal?
Copa America Quarterfinal: Argentina vs Ecuador Soccer Bets, Odds
Argentina Coming off Perfect Group Stage Campaign
No Lionel Messi, no problem. Argentina were without their injured star player for their last Copa America group stage match but Lautaro Martinez starred as La Albiceleste defeated Peru, 2-0. After a perfect group stage campaign, Argentina face Ecuador in Thursday’s first Copa America Semifinal.
Ecuador’s scoreless draw versus Mexico on Sunday was enough to finish in second place in Group B. We’ll see what Messi’s chances are to return in time for this Copa America Quarterfinal and discuss some Argentina vs Ecuador soccer bets.
Argentina vs Ecuador
Date & Time: Thursday, July 4th, 9:00 p.m. ET
Location: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Argentina vs Ecuador Head-to-Head
Argentina and Ecuador met in a friendly last month and Argentina won 1-0 from an Angel Di Maria goal. Argentina have won six of their last seven games against Ecuador and are unbeaten in this fixture since 2015.
Before making Argentina vs Ecuador soccer bets, bettors should know Messi has scored seven career goals against Ecuador. He scored in Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Ecuador in the Copa America 2021 Quarterfinals. All-time, Argentina are 24-11-5 versus Ecuador.
Argentina Going for Fourth Straight Clean Sheet
Plenty of Copa America predictions have Argentina repeating as champions. It’s certainly not a bad pick, given they’ve won all seven of their matches in 2024. Messi missed Saturday’s group stage finale against Peru but his replacement Lautaro Martinez came through with two goals in the 2-0 win.
Martinez has scored in all three of Argentina’s Copa America victories so far and is the current Golden Boot leader, with four goals. Messi was out with a thigh injury against Peru and the sense is that his absence was more of a precautionary measure. So, we do believe Messi has a good shot to start on Thursday.
Before the victory over Peru, Argentina took down Chile 1-0 and defeated Canada 2-0. Argentina’s defense hasn’t conceded a goal yet and bettors should be acutely aware of Emi Martinez’s abilities in penalty shootouts. The goalkeeper was the hero for Argentina in the World Cup Final and the previous Copa America.
Lionel Scaloni has been rotating his squad around a fair amount and Argentina do have an incredibly deep squad. The talent, depth and big game experience is a deadly combo.
| Argentina Games | Scores | Ecuador Games | Scores |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina vs Canada | 2 – 0 | Ecuador vs Venezuela | 1 – 2 |
| Chile vs Argentina | 0 – 1 | Ecuador vs Jamaica | 3 – 0 |
| Argentina vs Peru | 2 – 0 | Mexico vs Ecuador | 0 – 0 |
Ecuador Sneak into Knockout Stage
Things look decidedly bleak for Ecuador after their first match of Copa America. Ecuador went down to ten men in their 2-1 loss to Venezuela as all-time leading scorer Enner Valencia got sent off.
However, Ecuador bounced back and managed to get a 3-1 result against Jamaica in their second game. Valencia returned for the group stage decider versus Mexico, in which Ecuador just needed a draw to advance as Group B’s second place team.
In a cagey match, Ecuador managed to keep their first clean sheet of the tournament in Sunday’s 0-0 draw against Mexico. Ecuador have lost only three of their last 13 games and they’re typically competitive even against South America’s best teams.
Along with Valencia, Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo is one to watch. Along the backline, Ecuador also have Eintracht Frankfurt’s Willian Pacho and Bayer Leverkusen’s Piero Hincapie. Coach Felix Sanchez Bas won the AFC Asian Cup with Qatar five years ago and he’ll put together a team that’s designed to slow down Argentina.
Argentina vs Ecuador Match Analysis & Odds
The Copa America dates show that Thursday’s winner will take on the winner of Venezuela vs Canada on July 9th. Argentina’s path to the final is clear to see but they can’t afford to take their next couple of opponents lightly. Under Scaloni, though, Argentina have only lost one game since the World Cup Final.
Right now, the Copa America odds list Argentina as +125 favorites to win a second straight title. For this particular match, Argentina are -238 favorites and Argentina -1 sits at -125 odds. Ecuador have never beaten Argentina at Copa America and Ecuador enter this one as +770 underdogs. We expect Messi to return and that could spell trouble for Ecuador.
Still, bettors can take Ecuador +1 at +105 odds, while a draw is priced at +332. If things go that way and into penalties, Argentina would most likely have an advantage. Over two goals are priced at -140 odds but none of Argentina’s group stage matches had more than 2. Some Argentina vs Ecuador soccer bets to consider are Lautaro Martinez to score at +200, Argentina to win to nil at even odds and Argentina to be winning at halftime and full time at +130.
| Team | Handicap |
|---|---|
| Argentina | -1 -125 |
| Ecuador | +1 +105 |
