Argentina and Paraguay meet in Belo Horizonte on Thursday with both teams desperate for a win after disappointing results in their opening matches.
Argentina suffered a 2-0 defeat to Colombia whilst Paraguay squandered a 2-goal lead to come away with a draw against guest nation Qatar.
Argentina had more possession and more shots than Colombia but failed to turn their dominance into goals and were made to pay late on.
Their best chance fell to Lionel Messi but he headed wide from close range. Goals in the 71st and 86th minute ensured Argentina opened their account with a loss.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Leo Messi (@leomessi) on Jun 17, 2019 at 2:14pm PDT
A post shared by Leo Messi (@leomessi) on Jun 17, 2019 at 2:14pm PDT
Paraguay will be devasted after wasting a golden chance to go level on points with Colombia at the top of Group B.
They struck early on against Qatar with a penatly from veteran striker Oscar Cardozo after just 4 minutes. Substitute Derlis Gonzalez added a second after the break but it wasn’t enough to get them over the line.
They crumbled towards the end of the match and failed to hold on to their advantage, allowing Qatar to grab two late goals.
Argentina and Paraguay are no strangers. They have played against each other a remarkable 106 times, with their first meeting coming all the way back in 1919.
Argentina have the far superior record, with 58 wins compared to Paraguay’s 16. 32 of the 106 matches have ended in a draw but Argentina are likely to add to their win tally on Thursday.
They defeated Paraguay 6-1 in the semi-final of the 2015 Copa America. Angel Di Maria bagged a brace and Sergio Augero was also on the scoresheet that day. Both these players will be looking to inflict similar damage on Paraguay this time around.
Paraguay have two Copa America titles to their name but haven’t won the tournament since 1979. They are not the force they once were and will be happy to pick up a point against Argentina.
⚪🔴 #DíaDeViaje📸 Postales del arribo de la #Albirroja a Belo Horizonte.⚽ #Paraguay enfrentará a @Argentina el próximo miércoles 19/06 desde las 20:30 hs. de nuestro país.#ElSueñoQueNosUne 🇵🇾 pic.twitter.com/azku2mk47q— Selección Paraguaya (@Albirroja) June 17, 2019
⚪🔴 #DíaDeViaje📸 Postales del arribo de la #Albirroja a Belo Horizonte.⚽ #Paraguay enfrentará a @Argentina el próximo miércoles 19/06 desde las 20:30 hs. de nuestro país.#ElSueñoQueNosUne 🇵🇾 pic.twitter.com/azku2mk47q
On the other hand, Argentina must win to keep their quarter-final hopes alive. An exit at the group stage would be seen as a monumental underachievement.
They are aiming for a third consecutive appearance in the final of the Copa America and the fans will not settle for anything less.
Forebet predicts a tight match, with Argentina bouncing back to claim the victory.