Last updated & checked: 10/08/2021
South American football doesn’t get much better than this. The Copa America reaches its semi-final as tournament favourites Brazil take on a resilient Argentina. The away side would love nothing more than to come into 2020 as both the hosts and defending champions of Copa America. However, doing so will not be an easy task. Brazil stormed through to the quarter finals while Argentina only scraped by. Although, they made up for that in the eyes of many with a terrific 2-0 victory over Venezuela.
Brazil, on the other hand, had a much tougher time of it in the first knockout stage. They survived a nerve-shredding penalty shoot out with Paraguay to bring them to this showdown at Belo Horizonte. Both have fought hard to get here, and will not go down easily. Considering the talent involved, that means this has the potential to be a classic.
Brazil vs Argentina Prediction: Brazil 2-1 Argentina
Although Brazil’s tense battle with Paraguay did show they are mere mortals, they remain intimidatingly tough to beat. They haven’t lost a single game since dropping out of the World Cup at the hands of Belgium. Meanwhile, Argentina have been much more unpredictable in their results. While they are certainly in with a shot of besting Brazil and making it to the finals – and even winning the whole thing – it’s that lack of consistency which means we have to give the nod to Brazil here. It also looks likely to be a close but action-packed clash. That means our scoreline prediction is 2-1 to the home team.
Our recommended tip: Brazil win
Both of these teams have been putting on great performances recently. However, the home side’s consistency and domination on the pitch has made them the bookmakers’ favourites here. While Argentina have impressed with three victories in their last five matches, including a decisive 5-1 result over Nicaragua, Brazil have gone one better. They’ve won four of their last five matches, showcasing their incredible skills in 7-0 and 5-0 wins over Honduras and Peru respectively. Therefore, we recommend you back the home side to victory here to get good low-risk 4/5 odds at Ladbrokes.
Previous matches
To say the history between these two is extensive would be an understatement. They’ve had over a hundred matches since they first met in 1914. In that time, neither has managed to gain a serious advantage – although Brazil do hold a very slight winning percentage. It’s a similar story when it comes to their most recent outings too. Brazil come out on top overall, but just barely. They traded 1-0 wins in 2017 and 2018, but Brazil’s 3-0 World Cup win in 2016 and a 2-0 win in 2014 puts them ahead. The slight historical advantage has to go to the home team here, but it’s far from overwhelming.
Top 3 Copa America Bookies
Players to watch: Everton & Lionel Messi
Brazil: Everton
Right now, Brazilian forward Everton is locked in a battle with Philippe Coutinho over the position of top goalscorer for a squad full of heavy hitters. Either – or indeed both – can be considered the player to watch here, but we’re going to give the slight nod to Everton for his stunning recent performances. Although, in all honesty, there’s barely a member of the Brazilian squad not worth keeping your eye on.
Argentina: Lionel Messi
Despite being considered by many to be the best player in the world, Messi’s tournament woes have created a crushing sense of pressure on his extraordinary talent. He’s also only scored once so far in this tournament, meaning he’ll be desperate to make an impact here. If anyone can break through Brazil’s defences, there’s no better candidate than the incomparable Lionel Messi.
