Defending champions Argentina have their sights set on a spot in the Copa America quarterfinals Tuesday when a win over Chile at MetLife Stadium could take them to the knockouts with a game to spare.
The pair will meet up in the crucial group stage encounter at the site of the 2016 Copa America final when Chile beat Argentina on penalties to win back-to-back titles. This game, though, is expected to go much differently. Lionel Messi's side remain the favorites to top Group A after beating Canada 2-0 in their opening game on Thursday, while Chile are in the middle of a heated battle for second place after a 0-0 draw with Peru on Friday.
Here's what you need to know before tuning in.
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How to watch and odds
- Date: Tuesday, June 25 | Time: 9 p.m. ET
- Location: MetLife Stadium -- East Rutherford, NJ
- TV: Fox Sports 1 | Stream: Fubo (try for free)
- Odds: Chile +650; Draw +340; Argentina -230
Group A outlook
Argentina sit in first place one game into the group stage, taking all three points against Canada. Chile are tied for second with Peru after their draw, while Canada sit in last as the only side without a point so far in Group A. Argentina can book a spot in the quarterfinals with another win on Tuesday, and that coupled with a tie between Peru and Canada earlier on Tuesday means they will top the group with a game in hand.
| Place | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Argentina | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 3 |
2 | Peru | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
3 | Chile | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
4 | Canada | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
June 20
Argentina 2, Canada 0
June 21
Peru 0, Chile 0
June 25
Peru vs. Canada, 6 p.m. on on FS1
Chile vs. Argentina, 9 p.m. on FS1
June 29
Argentina vs. Peru, 8 p.m. on FS1
Canada vs. Chile, 8 p.m. on FS2
Storylines
Chile: The two-time champions can take positives out of the fact that they were the dominant side in their 0-0 draw with Peru, but Chile will rue their missed chances as a desperate search for points begins. They put just one of their 11 chances on target and missed several golden opportunities to score, including Alexis Sanchez's 15th minute shot from close range, which inspires questions about their ability to deliver in attack. The good news out of Friday's outing, though, is that 41-year-old goalkeeper Claudio Bravo was up to the task with four crucial saves against Peru and might play a big role against Argentina.
Argentina: Everything came up Argentina on Thursday, who lived up to the billing against a young and fairly inexperienced Canada side, but the reigning World Cup winners left a little to be desired on opening night. They took 19 shots and put nine on target but could have run up the scoreline even more, underperforming after posting three-plus expected goals. It might not matter in the end since they have the quality to outperform anyone with the likes of Messi, Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez around. That said, it feels like there's another level for Argentina to reach and at some point, the team -- and their onlookers -- will be eager to see it.
Prediction
It's hard to bet against Argentina considering the teams' recent form and available talent, so expect that some combination of their talented attack to get the job done on Tuesday and put their previous meeting with Chile in New Jersey behind them. Pick: Chile 0, Argentina 2
