New Delhi: The first semi-final of Copa America 2024 between Argentina and Canada kicks off tomorrow morning at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The defending champions have been the favourites and most consistent team in the tournament.
Argentina have reached the semifinals in seven of their last eight major international tournaments with their only failure in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Lionel Scaloni’s team have won all the penalty shootouts they have played out in major international tournaments after the Argentine took over the national football team. The reigning champions needed to dig deep to defeat Ecuador in the quarter-final and will look to be more prolific for the upcoming clash.
Canada, on the other hand, have emerged as the dark horse in the Copa America 2024 and consistently pushed their limits in the competition. The North American nation surpassed Venezuela in the quarter-finals and will be confident ahead of this fixture.
Both teams have made it to the semifinals via a penalty shootout after both games concluded in a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes. Argentina will look to extend their unbeaten streak to ten matches across all competitions while Canada will look to surpass Argentina and become the first nation to advance to the final since 2001.
Team News
Lionel Scaloni is expected to keep the unchanged lineup for the semifinals as they have no new injury concerns in the camp. Although Lionel Messi returned to action against Ecuador after a brief injury absence, he has yet to score for his team. He missed the penalty against Ecuador which is raising eyebrows about his performance. Lautaro Martinez is the most prolific player in Copa America 2024 with four goals.
Meanwhile, the Canadian camp will miss a key player Tajon Buchanan as he suffered a broken tibia in training and miss the remaining tournament. However, they don’t have any other injury worries heading into a crucial encounter against Albiceleste.
Head-to-Head
Argentina holds a great historic record against Canada. The two teams have only met two times at the senior level and Argentina have won both of those games. Their first clash was back in 2010 which was an international friendly won by Argentina by a 5-0 scoreline. The recent clash was in the opening game of the Copa America 2024 which also Argentina won by a 2-0 scoreline.
The defending champions Argentina have won their last 10 matches against CONCACAF opponents in all competitions, keeping a clean sheet in their last six matches, and will look to repeat the same in the next match.
Predicted lineup
Argentina: E. Martinez; Molina, Romero, Li. Martinez, Tagliafico; De Paul, Mac Allister, Lo Celso, Gonzalez; Messi, La. Martinez
Canada: Crepeau; Johnston, Bombito, Cornelius, Davies; Osorio, Eustaquio; Laryea, David, Shaffelburg; Larin
When, where, and how to watch the Argentina vs Canada match in India?
The Argentina vs Canada Copa America 2024 match is officially not being broadcast in India. However, you can catch the highlights of the games from Fan Code. The action begins at 5:30 am IST tomorrow.
Can defending champions Argentina maintain their unbeaten streak or will dark horses Canada upset them in the Copa America 2024 semi-final? Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
