CAN MESSI AND HIS BOYS REPAY LAST YEAR'S LOSS TO CHILLE?

 

The fitness of the Argentine's star man is still be a concern, but we are backing La Albiceste to open their Copa America campaign with a victory against the defending champions

The overwhelming favourites to lift the Copa America begin their campaign against the side who beat them in the final of last year's tournament. The defeat on penalties to Chile may have been even more painful for Argentina than their loss to Germany in the World Cup final the year before and there is little doubt that Tata Martino's men are out to make amends in this special edition of the competition.
La Albiceleste however, look set to be without Lionel Messi for their opener against the holders with the Barcelona forward recovering from a back injury he picked up in a friendly against Honduras last week.

Of course Argentina would miss the 28-year-old who has 50 international goals to his name, yet their squad is talented enough to pose Chile plenty of problems and Martino's men beat Chile 2-1 in Santiago in a World Cup qualifier in March without the five-time Ballon d'Or winner getting on the scoresheet.
Nicolas Gaitan of Benfica looks set to step into the number 10 role according to the Argentine boss and there is still plenty of confidence in the tournament favourites getting off to the best possible start according to the bookmakers.
Indeed. Chile come into the tournament in poor form having lost four of their last five matches including defeats to Jamaica and Mexico, while Argentina have racked up four successive victories and are available at evens (2.00)  with NetBet to make it five in a row. La Roja for their part can be backed at 3/1 (4.00) and the draw is priced at 23/10 (3.30).

Chile's form is a cause for concern and the once free-scoring side have struggled in front of goal under new manager Juan Antonio Pizzi. The reigning champions have only managed to score more than a single goal once in their last six matches, a 4-1 win over Venezuela, but have struggled to find the cutting edge which propelled them to Copa America victory last summer.
Furthermore, history is against Chile with the side's only win (in 90 minutes) in their last 13 games against Argentina coming back in 2008. This is a massive tournament for La Albiceste as they aim to end their 23-year wait for a trophy and expect them to be highly motivated for the opening game.
The price for a win for Tata Martino's side looks like it should offer some value, with punters able to double their initial investment when backing a win for Argentina who have an immensely talented squad, impressive recent form and a favourable history over their misfiring opponents.