Argentina vs Paraguay Prediction, Football Tips and News
Copa America football tips – Argentina vs Paraguay prediction
Argentina have their full squad to pick from for the Copa America semi-final. Despite scoring the winning penalty in the quarter-final win over Colombia, Carlos Tevez will once again start on the bench, as Angel Di Maria, Sergio Aguero and Lionel Messi continue in attack. Both Messi and Aguero are in danger of missing the final if booked.
Paraguay will have to make do without Nestor Ortigoza, who is injured and there are also doubts over the fitness of defender Miguel Samudio. However, it’s unlikely that manager Ramon Diaz will want to change things too much, from the team that defeated Brazil on penalties in the quarter-finals.
Possible Line-ups
Argentina: 4-3-3 formation: Romero; Rojo, Otamendi, Garay, Zabaleta; Biglia, Mascherano, Pastore; Di Maria, Messi, Aguero
Paraguay: 4-4-2 formation: Villar; Da Silva, B Valdez, Aguilar, Piris; Gonzalez, Benitez, Caceres, Aranda; Santa Cruz, N Valdez
- Argentina have won 7, drawn 2 and lost 1 of their last 10 matches
- Paraguay have won 2, drawn 5 and lost 3 of their last 10 matches
- Over the course of their previous 10 matches, Argentina have scored an average of 2.2 goals and conceded an average of 0.5 goals per game
- Over the course of their previous 10 matches, Paraguay have scored an average of 1.1 goals and conceded an average of 1.2 goals per game
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 6 of Argentina’s previous 10 matches
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 5 of Paraguay’s previous 10 matches
- These teams met in the group stages of the tournament and the match finished 2-2
Having already played out a draw in the group stages, both teams should have a good idea about what to expect from their opponents. That match featured a tremendous comeback by Paraguay, who were trailing Argentina 2-0 at half-time. This set the tone for their tournament, where they have proved difficult to beat.
Argentina have not produced the free-flowing, attacking football everyone wanted to see but have still negotiated their way to the semi-finals. On paper, this should be a comfortable win for Argentina but that could also be said about games against the likes of Iran in the World Cup, when the team needed a moment of Messi magic at the death, to save their blushes.
Paraguay have proved to be a very stubborn team in the 2015 Copa America and although Argentina have the talent to break them down, they have not been playing in a way that suggests they will do so easily.
We say: Draw at 17/5 with Bet365
What are your Copa America predictions and football tips?