2015 Copa America: Argentina v Colombia preview

June 25, 2015
By: Nemanja Lazarevic

Argentina vs ColombiaHaving failed to impress in the group stage, Argentina will be hoping to show some improvement and pip Colombia to a place in the semi-final.

Los Cafeteros kept second successive clean sheet to secure their progress to the knockout stages and after defeating Brazil in the group stage, they will be looking to claim another major scalp on Friday.

Argentina may have arrived at the tournament on the back of a 5-0 triumph over Bolivia, but they struggled to rediscover their top form in the group stage.

The opening clash with Paraguay was the only game where they managed to score two goals, but some defensive lapses prevented the team from claiming maximum points.

The narrow wins over Uruguay and Jamaica that ensued are not exactly a guarantee that La Albiceleste will beat very good Colombia side in the quarter-final.

Nevertheless, Argentina have been made 1.91 (10/11) favourites, which is hardly surprising given the amount of talent at Gerardo Martino’s disposal.

The former Barcelona coach is set to recall Sergio Aguero after the forward recovered from a shoulder problem, with Nicolas Otamendi also expected to start.

All eyes will be on Lionel Messi after he only scored one goal in the group stage, with the forward 2.35 (27/20) to score anytime.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-3): Romero – Zabaleta, Garay, Otamendi, Rojo – Biglia, Mascherano, Pastore – Messi, Aguero, Di Maria.

Colombia showed a great deal of promise at the 2014 World Cup, but they were eventually eliminated by Brazil in the quarter-finals.

However, while Jose Pekerman led a star-studded squad to the 2015 Copa America, the poor form of key players has proved to be a major issue so far.

The likes of Falcao, Cuadrado, Zuniga and Armero have all failed to impress in the opening exchanges, with the team facing all sorts of problems in the final third.

A side that boast players like Falcao, Jackson Martinez, Carlos Bacca and Victor Ibarbo have only scored one goal in three group matches, although Jeison Murillo’s strike against Brazil proved enough for three points and eventually a place in the next stage.

It remains to be seen whether Colombia can show some improvement against Argentina, with Los Cafeteros priced at 2.90 (19/10) to qualify for the semis.

Coach Jose Pekerman will have Carlos Bacca back from suspension, but now Carlos Sanchez is banned and Edwin Valencia has been ruled out through injury.

Probable starting line-up (4-2-2-2): Ospina – Arias, Zapata, Murillo, Armero – Zuniga, Mejia – Cuadrado, Rodriguez – Falcao, Gutierrez.

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