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The 2019 edition of the Copa America will kick-off on June 14, 2019, across five host cities in Brazil.
As the biggest football event on the continent, the biggest stars of the sport are expected to represent their respective countries in the quadrennial competition. One of the biggest stars who will be on display is Lionel Messi of Argentina.
After a disastrous campaign at last year’s World Cup, we saw Argentina undergo changes. With a new coach and some fresh blood injected, the Albiceleste hope that after two 2nd place finishes, the third time will be the charm. Argentina opens its Copa America bid on June 15, 2019, against Colombia at the Fonte Nova Arena in Salvador.
Argentina
Argentina was the runner-up in the last two editions of the Copa America and they enter this year’s competition on a rebuild after their debacle at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. After impressing officials during his tenure as interim coach, Lionel Scaloni has been promoted to full head coach status. The new bench boss’ youth-first policy has seen him inject young blood Giovani Lo Celso and Paulo Dybala. The inclusion of Lionel Messi was the biggest question heading to the Copa America but with that official now, the Albiceleste look to finally win this year.
- Goalkeepers: Franco Armani, Agustin Marchesin, Esteban Andrada
- Defenders: Nicolas Otamendi, Ramiro Funes Mori, Marcos Acuna, Nicolas Tagliafico, German Pezzella, Renzo Saravia, Juan Foyth
- Midfielders: Angel Di Maria, Roberto Pereyra, Giovani Lo Celso, Leandro Paredes, Rodrigo De Paul, Exequiel Palacios, Guido Rodriguez, Ivan Marcone
- Forwards: Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Paulo Dybala, Lautaro Martinez, Matias Suarez
Colombia
After leading Colombia to back-to-back World Cup appearances, Jose Pekerman resigned last September. Five months later, Carlos Queiroz took over and built his team around veteran stars Bayern Munich midfielder James Rodriguez, AS Monaco striker Radamel Falcao and Napoli Goalkeeper David Ospina. Colombia finished the 2016 Centenary edition in third place and they are hoping to have an auspicious start under their new bench mentor.
- Goalkeepers: David Ospina, Camilo Vargas, Alvaro Montero
- Defenders: Cristian Zapata, Santiago Arias, Davinson Sanchez, Yerry Mina, William Tesillo, Cristian Borja, Stefan Medina, Jhon Lucumi
- Midfielders: Juan Cuadrado, James Rodriguez, Edwin Cardona, Wilmar Barrios, Mateus Uribe, Jefferson Lerma, Gustavo Cuellar
- Forwards: Radamel Falcao, Luis Muriel, Roger Martinez, Duvan Zapata, Luis Diaz
Who Wins?
Despite a disastrous World Cup, the soccer betting odds still consider the Albiceleste as one of the favorites to win the 2019 Copa America. The reason behind that is because they have a player who is named Lionel Messi. Argentina’s hopes depend largely on Messi and the hope is that Scaloni has built a team around Messi but not overly dependent on him at the same time.
Messi will likely be paired with Sergio Aguero and Angel Di Maria. The two had a great year at the club level and the three have played together over the last few years. Their chemistry isn’t the best but this combination could be their best bet for success in the 2019 Copa America tournament. Midfield has been one of Argentina’s weak areas in the past but this time around, they have good depth in that position with young midfielders like Exequiel Palacios, Giovanni Lo Celso, Guido Rodriguez, Leandro Paredes, and De Paul included in Scaloni’s line-up.
Argentina’s new coach made some interesting omissions and additions which could have an impact in their Copa America campaign. Sergio Romero, Gabriel Mercado, Ever Banega, Alejandro Gomez, and Mauro Icardi were left off while the likes of Paulo Dybala, Esteban Andrada, and Milton Casco were surprise additions. But if they get their act together, this is a formidable side which can go deep in the tournament.
The biggest names in Colombia are James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao. Rodriguez only played three full 90-minute matches for Bayern Munich last season due to injury problems. Despite that, Rodriguez is in the 23-man line-up. With Juan Fernando Quintero suffering a serious knee injury as well, Colombia will look to Radamel Falcao to score the goals. Colombia’s all-time leading goal-scorer will get support from 28-year old Duvan Zapanta who had a good season with Atalanta Bergamo as the #2 goal scorer in Italy. Despite his father’s fragile health, David Ospina will be traveling with the team to Brazil and is expected to be the top option as the goalkeeper.
Prediction: With concerns on the fitness of James Rodriguez and the confirmation that Messi will play. I’m picking Argentina to beat Colombia on 6/15/19.
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