South American Neighbors Meet in USA
Chile vs Argentina Preview: Argentina Still Perfect in 2024
2024 Copa America Action Continues
Argentina got off to a solid start in their first Copa America match by beating Canada, 2-0. Now, La Albiceleste take on neighbors Chile in East Rutherford, NJ for their second group stage match.
Chile drew 0-0 against Peru in their opener and any points here would go a long way for their knockout stage hopes. Still, defending champions Argentina are -225 favorites according to the latest odds.
We’ll take a closer look at the odds, trends and team news in our Chile vs Argentina preview.
Chile vs Argentina
Day/Time:
Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
Chile vs Argentina Head-to-Head
This marks the fifth time in a row Chile and Argentina will meet on the Copa America schedule.
In 2021, these sides also met in the group stage and proceedings finished 1-1. Lionel Messi scored a free kick and Chile’s Eduardo Vargas equalized in the second half.
Argentina defeated Chile in the 2019 Copa America third place game but Chile took down Argentina in penalties in both the 2015 and 2016 Copa America finals.
Three of the last four matches between Chile and Argentina have finished in draws. Notably, Argentina are unbeaten in each of the last 12 ninety-minute matchups. In 66 previous meetings, Chile have only ever beaten Argentina once in normal time.
| Key Stats | Chile | Argentina |
|---|---|---|
| Matches Played | 1 | 1 |
| Won | 0 | 1 |
| Draw | 1 | 0 |
| Lost | 0 | 0 |
| Goals | 0 | 2 |
| Total Attempts | 11 | 19 |
| Shots on Goal | 1 | 9 |
| Saves | 4 | 8 |
| Yellow Cards | 3 | 4 |
| Red Cards | 0 | 0 |
Chile Relying on Aging Players
Under Argentine coach Ricardo Gareca, Chile are 2-1-1. Gareca coached Peru for seven years and he’s certainly familiar with Argentina’s tactics. This year, Chile have beaten Albania and Paraguay and lost to France in friendlies. To open up Copa America, Gareca started a squad full of experience against Peru.
- Gareca couldn’t get three points against his former team as the sides played to a scoreless draw. Chile were +115 prematch favorites and a draw sat at +200.
Our Chile vs Argentina preview notes that Chile and Monaco center back Guillermo Maripan is still building his fitness following a slew of injuries during the 2023-24 season.
He didn’t start the first match of Copa America and Gareca went with Paulo Diaz and Igor Lichnovsky at center back. Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo (41) became the oldest player in Copa America history last Friday.
Alexis Sanchez (35), Mauricio Isla (36) and Eduardo Vargas (34) are all key players for Chile. It remains to be seen how far Chile can go with players in the twilight stages of their careers.
Chile’s right side, with Isla and Victor Davila, looked quite dangerous in the match against Peru and Davila has scored three goals for Chile this year.
Business as Usual for Defending Champions Argentina
Argentina have won the last two major tournaments they’ve appeared in. Still, the defending Copa America and World Cup champions didn’t have an easy time versus Canada last Thursday.
The Canadians created chances against La Albiceleste but Argentina did manage a 2-0 victory. Alexis Mac Allister assisted Julian Alvarez for Argentina’s first and Lionel Messi played in Lautaro Martinez, who put the game to bed.
Messi’s career stats show he’s Copa America’s all-time appearance leader (70) and has provided the most assists in the competition (18). He had an injury scare in the match but looks to be just fine.
Argentina managed to cover the spread, as they came in at -1.5 at -103 before the game. Messi is at the center of everything Argentina do offensively but Argentina have plenty of goal threats.
Alvarez and Martinez were both on the shortlist for Copa America Golden Boot. Meanwhile, Angel Di Maria is still playing at a high level at 36 years old.
The only surprise last Thursday was coach Lionel Scaloni’s decision to play Leandro Paredes in midfield over Enzo Fernandez. Fernandez had a difficult campaign with Chelsea and may find it difficult to re-enter the starting XI during Copa America.
Chile vs Argentina Match Analysis & Odds
Since winning the World Cup Final in 2022, Argentina have won 14 of their 15 matches. Our Chile vs Argentina preview notes Argentina are -225 favorites for Tuesday’s match.
- Chile, who are +650 underdogs, have managed to remain competitive in recent games against Argentina. However, the gap between the two teams has gotten bigger during the last couple of years.
- A draw would certainly keep Chile’s knockout stage hopes alive and one sits at +340 odds at the moment. One of our soccer betting tips for the match is to consider under 2.5 goals at -125 odds.
We think Chile will try to turn this one into a dogfight and they’ll have to remain compact defensively to do so.
- Chile +1, +1.5 currently comes in at -125. Meanwhile, Argentina -1, -1.5 is priced at +105. Argentina are a perfect 5-0 in 2024 and it’s hard to bet against Messi and Co. here.
| Team | Handicap |
|---|---|
| Chile | +1 +115 |
| Argentina | +1 -135 |
For Copa America betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
