Canada fell 2-0 despite a strong effort in their Copa America opener against Argentina. The teams will clash again in the semifinals on Wednesday.
Get ready for the match with our Argentina vs. Canada prediction and preview.
Who win Copa America 2021?
Argentina
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Argentina vs Canada: Match Preview
Jesse Marsch acknowledges that Canada must deliver an exceptional performance to have any chance of upsetting reigning champions Argentina and reaching the Copa America final.
Marsch’s squad will compete for a spot in the final against the World Cup winners at MetLife Stadium on Tuesday, after defeating Venezuela in a penalty shootout in the quarter-finals.
Canada is only the fourth CONCACAF team to reach the Copa semi-finals and the third to do so in their debut, following Mexico (1993 runners-up), Honduras (third in 2001), and the United States (third in 1995).
They face a formidable challenge, having already been defeated by Lionel Messi and Argentina’s stars in the opening group-stage game.
In that match, Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez scored as Lionel Scaloni’s team won 2-0 in Atlanta, with Argentina taking 19 shots worth 3.02 expected goals (xG) compared to Canada’s 10 shots (1.16 xG).
While Canada has earned many admirers on their journey to the semifinals, Marsch understands they need to elevate their performance even more on Wednesday.
“Argentina will have to be the best match we’ve ever played and it still might not be enough,” he said. “But whatever. We’re going to go for it.”
Captain Alphonso Davies echoed those sentiments, but noted that Canada had given Argentina a scare in their previous encounter, saying: “It’s going to take everything. We played them in the group stage and we played well but didn’t get the win we wanted.”
Crepeau made six saves in Canada’s Copa America opener against Argentina and may be just as busy in this upcoming match.
Despite this, he has shown excellent form throughout the tournament, conceding only three goals from 4.95 expected goals on target (xGOT) faced. Only Claudio Bravo (3.66 goals prevented) and Rafael Romo (2.36) have outperformed their expected goalkeeping statistics by a greater margin.
With two clean sheets, Crepeau is just behind Sergio Rochet and Emiliano Martínez, who each have three. Keeping another clean sheet will be a challenging task for him.
Forward Jonathan David is a key player in the Canadian attack. The 24-year-old joined the national team in 2018 and has been a major offensive contributor, with 27 goals in 53 matches. He scored the only goal in Canada’s 1-0 win over Peru during the group stage on June 25. David currently plays for Lille in France’s Ligue 1, where he netted 19 goals in 34 league matches this past season.
Another vital offensive force is forward Cyle Larin. The 29-year-old has been part of the Canadian team since 2014, scoring 29 goals in 72 appearances. In the 2024 Copa America qualifying playoff in March, he scored the opening goal in a 2-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago. Larin’s standout year was 2021, when he scored 14 goals in 13 matches. He plays professionally in Spain for Mallorca, where he has scored seven goals in 42 appearances across all competitions.
The star-studded Argentinian lineup is led by captain Messi, who has been with the national team since 2005. In 185 appearances, he has scored 108 goals. In 2022, he set a career-high with 18 goals in 14 matches. A longtime Barcelona player in La Liga, he has spent parts of the past two seasons with Inter Miami in Major League Soccer. For Miami, he has registered 25 goals in 29 appearances.
Forward Lautaro Martinez is having an impressive tournament, scoring four goals in four matches, including both goals in a 2-0 win over Peru during the group stage. The 26-year-old has been a key player for Argentina since joining the team in 2018. In 62 appearances for the national team, he has scored 28 goals, with seven goals in eight appearances in 2024. He has also recorded two multi-goal performances since June 14, when Argentina defeated Guatemala 4-1 in an international friendly.
Argentina boss Scaloni criticized the pitch quality after the earlier match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and Messi noted that the playing surfaces have affected the tournament throughout.
“The pitch always has an influence. It’s a reality that the pitches aren’t good,” he told reporters, as quoted by The Athletic.
“I think the best one was the one in Miami, which was good from what you saw from the outside at least. It’s natural and that’s already different. Of course, it has an influence.”
Mac Allister set up Martínez’s opening goal against Ecuador in the quarter-finals, and then calmly scored from the spot as the world champions secured victory in a shootout following a 1-1 draw.
The Liverpool midfielder now has two assists in this year’s tournament. Since data tracking began in 2011, only Lionel Messi (in 2011, 2015, 2016, and 2021) has provided three or more assists for Argentina in a single Copa America edition.
Mac Allister has successfully completed 122 out of 135 passes in this tournament, with 70 of those occurring in the opposition’s half. As Canada is expected to play defensively, it may be up to him to maintain the flow of play and deliver passes to Messi and the other attackers.
Argentina vs Canada: Head-to-head
Argentina and Canada have faced each other only twice before: once in a 2010 friendly and again in the group stages of the 2024 Copa America.
In 2010, Argentina achieved a 5-0 victory in Buenos Aires, and more recently, goals from Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez secured a 2-0 win earlier this summer.
Argentina vs Canada: Recent Form
Argentina: WWWWW
Canada: WDWLD
Argentina vs Canada: Team News and Predicted Line-up
Argentina: Team News
Lionel Messi was exceptional against Canada to open the tournament, then solid against Chile before missing the group game against Peru due to injury. While he wasn’t at his best against Ecuador and was the only Argentine player to miss a penalty in the decisive shootout, we can expect to see a stronger performance from the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner in this rematch against Canada.
With Messi struggling for goals and fitness, Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martínez has stepped up, leading the Golden Boot race with four goals. Although Manchester City’s versatile attacker, Julian Alvarez, scored his first Copa America goal against Canada in the tournament opener, he might be relegated to the bench for this match.
Defensively, Lisandro Martínez is likely to continue ahead of Nicolás Otamendi after his impressive goal-scoring performance last time out, partnering with Cristian Romero in central defense. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez was again the hero, saving two penalties and ensuring Messi’s earlier miss didn’t cost his team as Argentina secured their place in the semifinals.
Argentina: Predicted Lineup
- Goalkeeper: E. Martinez
- Defenders: Molina, Romero, Li. Martinez, Tagliafico
- Midfielders: Mac Allister, De Paul, Di Maria
- Forwards: Messi, La. Martinez, Alvarez
Canada: Team News
Canada will be missing Inter Milan’s Tajon Buchanan, who suffered a broken tibia in training and will be out for the rest of the tournament and several months to recover.
Malmo defender Derek Cornelius, who picked up a second yellow card in the quarterfinal against Venezuela, will be available as bookings reset after the group stage.
Head coach Jesse Marsch has used a different starting XI for each Copa America match so far, but one constant will be his emphasis on precise and clinical attacking play during transitions to maximize impact.
Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies is a standout player and will feature in a back four alongside Alistair Johnston, Moise Bombito, and Derek Cornelius.
Porto’s Stephen Eustaquio will captain the side, expected to be paired in midfield with Marseille’s Ismael Kone, who is likely to return to the starting lineup after sitting out the final group match and only coming on as a substitute last time out.
Lille striker Jonathan David remains a key attacking threat, having scored Canada’s only goal in the group stage, his 27th international goal, two short of Cyle Larin’s record. Left winger Jacob Shaffelburg, who scored the opener against Venezuela, will likely retain his starting role in the attack.
While Jonathan David and Alphonso Davies have only combined for one goal, Jacob Shaffelburg has the other, and Canada’s success has largely been built on strong team play and a bit of luck, including two red cards for opponents.
Canada: Predicted Lineup
- Goalkeeper: Crepeau
- Defenders: Johnston, Bombito, Cornelius, Davies
- Midfielders: Kone, Eustaquio, David
- Forwards: Laryea, Shaffelburg, Larin
Argentina vs Canada: Match Prediction
Argentina has been one of the most dominant teams throughout the tournament. They kept their opponents scoreless through the group stages and didn’t concede a goal until late in their matchup with Ecuador.
In the penalty shootout, Argentina demonstrated their composure under pressure.
Under Lionel Scaloni, Argentina has been a formidable team, already defeating Canada in the group stage of the 2024 Copa America. Lautaro Martínez has been lethal in the competition so far and is set to partner with Lionel Messi in the Albiceleste front line.
Canada has plenty of pace and could trouble Argentina on the counterattack. However, Argentina is the stronger team on paper and holds the upper hand going into this match.
Prediction: Argentina 3-1 Canada
When and Where to Watch the Match LIVE in India?
Unfortunately, there has been no official confirmation of TV and live stream broadcasts of Copa America in India. While reports suggested that FanCode and Sony were in talks to acquire broadcast rights for the tournament, no official announcement has been made. Currently, there is no official platform or channel in India where viewers can stream or watch the match.
