Copa America: Argentina vs Canada semifinals betting preview

The 2024 Copa America is coming down to the wire. Just four sides remain in the competition and one happens to be the reigning champions, Argentina. They will be looking to book their spot in the final when they go to battle with Canada on Tuesday, July 9th at MetLife Stadium. The kick-off is scheduled for 8 PM ET. These two countries met in the group stages as well, with La Albiceleste running out as 1-0 winners on matchday one. The holders finished at the top of their pod and just took down Ecuador in the quarterfinals, but it took penalties. It was a similar situation for the Canucks, who eliminated Venezuela on PKs.

Argentina en route for the final

The Argentinians entered the Copa America as the clear-cut favorite to lift the grand prize and they remain on track to do so. With Brazil having lost in the quarterfinals to Uruguay, no one really stands in Argentina’s way of repeating. I mean, you could say potentially the Uruguayans, but that’s a team they should also beat.

Lionel Scaloni’s side has won all four of their games so far, scoring six times and conceding just once. Emiliano Martinez has been brilliant in net and came up clutch in the penalties against Ecuador as well. Inter Milan star Lautaro Martinez is the main man in this tournament for La Albiceleste, bagging four of their goals. Messi is not exactly producing, tallying just one assist. But, it hasn’t mattered and as we know, he’s still an integral piece of this squad.

Martinez scored the opener in the last eight in the first half but it wasn’t until injury time in the second period where Ecuador equalized to force spot kicks. Surprisingly, possession was essentially 50-50 and Argentina had the same number of opportunities on target as Ecuador. It wasn’t a banner performance from the World Cup winners, but they will be motivated to bounce back on Tuesday. The Argentinians are a heavy -290 favorite at Bodog.

Canada making history

This is the first time Canada is participating in the Copa America and needless to say, it’s been quite the debut. The CONCACAF outfit was a runner-up in Group A behind Argentina with a 1-1-1 record, losing to Argentina, beating Peru, and settling for a point in a hard-fought draw against Alexis Sanchez and Chile. While they only scored one goal in the group stages, Canada also allowed just two.

The quarterfinals saw Jesse March’s group really prove their worth, though. Although Venezuela isn’t a top-tier nation, they’re also not a team Canada would’ve beaten in past years. It shows the growth of this program. Jacob Shaffelburg got his side on the scoresheet early in the first half with a fine finish and he nearly scored again shortly after. The Venezuelans tied things up thanks to Salomon Rondon in the second half and despite several chances for both sides, it went to penalties. Ismael Kone scored the decisive PK to send Canada through.

The Canucks are a massive underdog for Tuesday’s affair at soccer betting sites and won’t have anything to lose against a superior Argentina club. And to be honest, being in a semifinal at Copa America is an accomplishment in itself.

Injury news

The only notable injury here is for Canada. Tajon Buchanan broke his tibia and had to undergo surgery before the Venezuela match. He’s doubtful to feature in the semifinals. Argentina has a clean bill of health.