Argentina have been placed in Group A of the 2021 Copa America, also known as the South Zone. They will play Bolivia, Uruguay, Chile, and Paraguay in the group stage of the competition, with the top four teams progressing to the knockout stage.
Argentina will host the tournament and enter as one of the favourites to lift the trophy. Let us take a look back at some of their recent performances in the competition.
#EliminatoriasQatar2022 El entrenador @lioscaloni dio a conocer la lista de convocados del exterior para la doble fecha ante @LaRoja 🇨🇱 y @FCFSeleccionCol 🇨🇴 pic.twitter.com/RRlDJtjNEE— Selección Argentina 🇦🇷 (@Argentina) May 16, 2021
#EliminatoriasQatar2022 El entrenador @lioscaloni dio a conocer la lista de convocados del exterior para la doble fecha ante @LaRoja 🇨🇱 y @FCFSeleccionCol 🇨🇴 pic.twitter.com/RRlDJtjNEE
The 2019 edition of the Copa America was split into three groups and Argentina finished second in their group, having won one, drawn one, and lost one of their three matches.
They landed a somewhat favourable draw in the quarter-final and defeated Venezuela 2-0 before meeting the hosts, Brazil, in the semi-final. Brazil took the lead after only 19 minutes of the game and eliminated Argentina with a 2-0 victory.
You must go back to 1993 to find the last time Argentina won the Copa America and that was their most recent major trophy. They have reached the final on four occasions since then but have lost each time.
Their most recent Copa America final came in 2016 and Argentina lost on penalties to Chile after the match finished 0-0.
Argentina have reached the final of the Copa America more times than any other nation. They have scored more goals in the tournament than any other team yet they have struggled to get over the line in recent Copa America events.
Argentina fans will be hoping that this is the year they will finally win a major tournament having gone so long without tasting success. Lionel Scaloni is the man charged with winning the Copa America for Argentina and in 26 games as manager, he has recorded 16 victories, with only 4 defeats.
In terms of the playing squad, this could be the final Copa America appearance for Lionel Messi. The Barcelona forward has yet to win a major trophy with his country and this could be his last chance.
There is no doubt Argentina will be looking towards the 33-year-old for inspiration and he has led the team to four finals as captain. Messi will be joined in attack by Lautaro Martinez, who has enjoyed a successful season with Inter Milan and Ángel Di María of Paris Saint-Germain.
Martinez Quarta and Nicolás Otamendi are the likely central defensive duo, with Nicolás Tagliafico and Gozalo Montiel in the full-back positions.
Argentina are in the tougher of the two groups but should have enough to finish top, which will give them an easier draw in the quarter-final.
They have performed well in recent FIFA World Cup qualification games and must be considered one of the favourites to reach the final of the 2021 Copa America.
The question is, can they put their recent final troubles behind them and go on to lift the trophy on home soil?