Argentina vs. Ecuador Prediction on July 4, 2024

Match info

The defending champion Argentina and Ecuador will face off in a rematch from the men’s football 2021 Copa América quarterfinals on Thursday, July 4, at 8 p.m. local time at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. A spot in the final four of this year’s event, which is hosted by the USA, is up for grabs. After defeating Peru 2-0 in its last game, “La Albiceleste” (the “White and Sky Blue”) won Group A with a perfect record, justifying the role of tournament winner betting favorites at +130 at betting sites in Argentina, even though, following Leo Messi’s leg injury during his team’s victory over Chile on Tuesday night, those odds have somewhat decreased from +160. If you’re an Argentine NT fan, you don’t need to worry, as the former Barcelona star will be ready for the match. In Group B, Ecuador finished second after holding Mexico to a 0-0 tie.

Meeting statistics

The current form of Argentina

From a statistical perspective, Lionel Scaloni’s team’s first-stage performance in this event was almost perfect, winning all three of its games and conceding zero goals. They haven’t been beaten in a Copa América game since the 2019 semifinals (0-2 loss vs Brazil), and all five of their goals in the group play came in the second half. In all competitions, the Argentines have won eight straight games and allowed just two goals to be scored against them.

Argentina has easily defeated all rivals in its last three tournament quarterfinal matches, recording 9-1. Their only loss in a quarterfinal match in this event in this century occurred when they hosted the competition in 2011 and lost to Uruguay 4-5 on penalties. In its 2021 Copa América quarterfinal matchup, Argentina defeated Ecuador 3-0, continuing the tradition of never losing to this nation in the competition. Meanwhile, Argentina, the FIFA World Cup holder has gone on to win its round of 8 matchup four times in a row.

The current form of Ecuador

Ecuador held off the Mexicans and qualified for the knockout stage on goal differential despite playing the better part of the match on the defensive. “La Tri” (the “Tricolors”) has advanced to the round of eight in this competition for the second time in a row. They’ve also advanced to the quarterfinals in three of the previous four Copa América. After Ecuador lost three straight Copa América games in the quarterfinals, Félix Sánchez has an opportunity to command this squad into the competition’s semi-finals for the first time since 1993.

Although Ecuador has only scored one in the first 45 minutes of this competition—a goal in its 1-2 defeat to Venezuela—It has yet to give up a goal in the first half. They haven’t had an advantage in a quarterfinal match in this tournament since 1997 when they lost 3-4 on penalties against Mexico following a 1-1 draw.

Head-to-head

Ecuador’s last victory over “La Albiceleste” came in 2015, when it was 2-0. Argentina prevailed in six of its past seven competitive matches against Ecuador.

Match analytics

Matchday three of the group stage demonstrated Ecuador’s ability to frustrate its opponents, but Argentina is very capable of winning close games and has a wealth of players who have risen and made an impact in this tournament.

Given that all Argentina’s goals in this Copa América came in the second half and that Ecuador hasn’t conceded in the first half thus far, the following bet would be logical: Halftime/fulltime – draw/Argentina, with odds of 3.25 at Betdaq.