- What: 2024 Copa America Quarterfinals
- Who: Argentina vs. Ecuador
- When: Thursday, July 4 at 8 p.m. ET
- Where: NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas
- How to watch: FoxSports and the FoxSports app
Is Lionel Messi going to grab another international title with Argentina? That's what a lot of people think is going to happen this summer, as the South American powerhouse is through to the quarterfinals of the 2024 Copa America Tournament. Argentina cruised in group play, posting three wins in three matches. Now, things start to get tough for them. With that said, Argentina is a heavy favorite over Ecuador in the Copa America quarterfinals. Will they move on to the semis?
As we mentioned above, Argentina was brilliant in Group A action, taking down Canada, Chile and Peru. Now, they're going to face an experienced Ecuador side, which advanced thanks to a draw against Mexico on Sunday evening. Ecuador is led by Enner Valencia, Kendry Paez and Moises Caicedo, while Argentina features Messi, Angel Di Maria, Lautaro Martinez, Lisandro Martinez and others. On paper, Argentina is the better team and they're playing with a ton of confidence.
| Ecuador vs. Argentina odds |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina to win | -250 | -250 | -250 |
| Ecuador to win | +750 | +750 | +750 |
| Over 2.5 goals | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under 2.5 goals | -110 | -110 | -110 |
"I'm fine, as I said when the match with Chile ended, I had a great season at my club and I felt good," Lautaro Martinez said after the recent win over Peru. "I felt ready to get rid of the thorn from the World Cup, that was important for me, to prepare well for the Copa America, which I did and I'm showing it. Let's keep working."
According to the best sports betting sites, which includes the reliable Bovada sportsbook review, Argentina holds +250 soccer betting odds to come out on top. As for Ecuador, they are major underdogs at +750. Ecuador has beaten Argentina before, but it's been a while since they've taken them down. We don't think it's going to happen in this one. We're 100 percent going with Argentina as our pick. The semifinals will be next for them.
We've got two Copa América 2024 Quarterfinal matchups set 🔥🔒
Which teams will join the bracket next? pic.twitter.com/y1twb5F5EA
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 1, 2024
The over should hit between Argentina and Ecuador on Thursday night
It goes without saying, but the over should hit between Argentina and Ecuador on Thursday night. These two teams have unreal talent on the offensive side of the ball and they're both going to pose a lot of problems for the opposing defenses. Ecuador's defense is a bit shaky right now due to left-back Pervis Estupinan being out of the tournament with an ankle injury. This has forced Piero Hincapie to LB, which means he's out of position.
Felix Torres and William Pacho are going to have their hands full on the inside, while Angelo Preciado at right back isn't going to have a fun night either. Argentina has a tremendous attack and they should be able to score at least two goals. Having said that, Ecuador scored four goals in group play and they have what it takes to surprise Argentina as well. Valencia is yet to score in the tourney, but that could change this week.
From interviewing Alan Minda with @TheCopaClub when he first arrived in Europe, to watching him score at #CopaAmerica, I can tell you now how much he deserves this moment.
On the way to the top. 📈 👏pic.twitter.com/MVtCVkYktX
— Nathan Joyes (@NathanJoyes1) June 27, 2024
"We suffered a lot, but we also enjoyed some things," Valencia said after the draw with Mexico. "The happiness for qualifying (to the next round) is enormous. A lot of times you have to know how to suffer and today, although we couldn't be concrete, we deserved this qualification."
Per the oddsmakers, the over/under has been set at 2.5 goals. We expect Argentina to come out on top, but we do think it's going to be a bit closer than most people think. We're predicting a 2-1 win for Messi and Co., which would mean that three goals would be scored. This would result in the over being recorded. We're going with that as our pick. It will be interesting to see if that happens or not.
Argentina still holds the top odds to win the Copa America
With things starting to heat up, Argentina still holds the top odds to win the Copa America. Argentina entered the tourney as the favorite and nothing has changed there. However, things are quite close, as Brazil and Uruguay are right behind them. All three teams have what it takes to take home the trophy. Uruguay and Brazil are of course among the winningest countries when it comes to the Copa America too.
Argentina has a bit of an easier ride to get to the title game, though. In the quarterfinals, they will face Ecuador. Should Argentina advance, they'd then take on the winner of Venezuela vs. Colombia in the semifinals next week at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. That's another game that Argentina will be favored for and one that they should be victorious in.
On the other side of the bracket, you have Colombia, Uruguay, Brazil featured as the main teams. The road to get to the title game is going to be much more difficult for all three sides. This is something Argentina doesn't have to worry about. With all of that said, things benefit Argentina, and they're still our pick to win it all for the second consecutive time.
