Credit: Bleacher Report
Lionel Messi and Argentina will defend their Copa America title against the team with the longest unbeaten streak in men’s international soccer.
Argentina meets Colombia on Sunday in Miami in what will be the first-ever Copa America final meeting between the pair of South American sides.
Argentina flexed its regular level of dominance to reach the final on United States soil, but Colombia is a bit of a surprise finalist.
Colombia has not advanced to the Copa America since 2001, when it won its only Copa title, and had to navigate a group with Brazil and a semifinal against Uruguay.
Argentina is the worthy favorite since it is the reigning Copa America and World Cup champion, but Colombia will be a frisky underdog.
Copa America Final Odds
To Win the Tournament
Argentina (-175; bet $175 to win $100)
Colombia (+140; bet $100 to win $140)
Prediction
Argentina’s perfected how to navigate a major tournament.
The Albiceleste are one win away from their third major title in the last three years. They defeated Brazil to win the 2021 Copa America and downed France in an electric 2022 FIFA World Cup title match.
Lionel Messi is of course the main attraction for any Argentina game, but its entire team has played well throughout the tournament.
Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez is one of the best at his position in the world and he leads a defense that allowed one goal and held four clean sheets so far at the Copa America.
Colombia features an equally as impressive defensive unit that held Uruguay scoreless in Wednesday’s semifinal despite playing the entire second half down a man.
Los Cafeteros conceded on two occasions in the tournament, once to Brazil and another time to Paraguay. They held three clean sheets and have not conceded in two knockout-round contests.
Colombia put up five goals on Panama in the quarterfinals, but that had more to do with the gap in overall quality in that game than what Colombia can bring to the field on Sunday.
Liverpool’s Luis Diaz and James Rodriguez are the most dangerous players for Colombia, and while they can be dangerous in attack, they lack experience in an international final with their national team.
Argentina has a roster full of battle-tested players and that could be a massive advantage for the reigning Copa champion if the game is close going into the second half.
Colombia will likely play with no pressure because of its underdog role, but if it falls behind, it may not have an answer for Argentina.
History is not on Colombia’s side either. It has a single win in its last 12 meetings with Argentina and it only owns a single Copa title from 2001.
Three of the last four Copa America finals had less than two goals in regulation and two of them went to penalties, so expect a tight affair in which one moment of brilliance, potentially from Messi, makes the difference.
Prediction: Argentina 1, Colombia 0
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