The Copa América quarterfinals begin today, with defending champions Argentina facing Ecuador, who are looking for their first semi-final appearance since the early 1990s.
Argentina faces Ecuador in the Copa América quarterfinals today, with the defending champions hoping to reach the last four for the fourth time. The Albiceleste have reached the semi-finals in each of the last four tournaments, only failing to go beyond the quarter-finals once this century.
Argentina qualified for the knockout stages by topping Group A with the most points, and they are the only team yet to surrender in the 2024 Copa América.
Argentina qualified for the knockout stages by topping Group A with the most points, and they are the only team yet to surrender in the 2024 Copa América.As they pursue their 16th Copa América crown, Lionel Scaloni’s men face a side that has never defeated them in the competition. According to Opta, the world champions have 11 wins and six draws versus Ecuador in Copa América matches, the most recent of which occurred at this stage of the tournament in 2021. Three years ago, Argentina won the quarter-finals 3-0 thanks to goals from Rodrigo de Paul, Lautaro Martínez, and Lionel Messi.
Argentina has been concerned about captain Lionel Messi’s condition after he missed the team’s last group game, a 2-0 victory against Peru, due to a thigh ailment. Speaking to media yesterday, head coach Scaloni stated that he will wait until “the last moment” to decide on the Inter Miami star’s readiness to participate. “I think the right thing to do is let him take his time and get as much training time as possible under his belt,” according to Scaloni. “I’ll talk to him in training and then we’ll make a decision on what we’re going to do tomorrow.” According to Argentine media reports, Messi may be allowed to return to the starting lineup.
While Argentina looks to extend their semi-final streak, Ecuador hopes to break a more than three-decade drought to reach the Copa América final four. The Tricolour have become quarter-final regulars, reaching the final eight in three of the last four Copa Américas, but have not gone to the tournament’s semi-finals since 1993.
Ecuador advanced to this year’s knockout stages after placing second to Venezuela in Group B. Félix Sánchez’s team earned four points, with a draw with Mexico on matchday three putting them ahead of the North Americans on goal differential.
Unsurprisingly, bookmakers are overwhelmingly predicting Argentina to defeat a team 29 places lower in the FIFA global rankings. Oddschecker has the tournament holders valued at -225 to win today’s quarterfinal. Ecuador’s victory, meanwhile, is valued at +750.
Football statisticians also believe Ecuador will struggle to reach the semi-finals for the first time in 31 years. Argentina has a 76.4% chance of making it to the final four, according to Opta’s’supercomputer,’ and a 68.4% likelihood of defeating Ecuador in 90 minutes.
Argentina and Ecuador will face today, Thursday, July 4, at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. Kickoff is set for 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. ET. Viewers in the United States may watch the game on Fox Network, TUDN USA, Univisión, and ViX, and you can also stream it on fuboTV, which offers a free trial for new customers.
The winner of today’s Houston match will face either Venezuela or Canada in a semi-final on Tuesday, July 9, in East Rutherford. Venezuela and Canada will square off in the quarterfinals tomorrow, Friday, July 5.