Messi to Lead Argentina to Copa Victory against Chile (PART I)

GamingZion presents if comprehensive preview of the Chile v Argentina Copa America final.

As it was expected before the final by many of those who bet on sports in the US, hosts Chile and favorites Argentina were the best teams on their respective sections in the playoff bracket of the 2015 Copa America, and therefore they will face each other in the final. The title decider will be held in the Estadio Nacional in Santiago de Chile on Saturday 5.00 pm in local time (4.00 pm ET/9.00 pm GMT).

• Argentina are favorites to win
• Messi in a different role
• Back Messi to score

As arguably these are the two best South American sides at the moment, the final will be a footballing delicacy. Especially because both of them are committed to attacking football, though, this might slightly change in the case of Argentina. Everything is in Tata Martino’s hands, as it is obvious that Chile won’t change their default game plan, as they actually don’t have another alternative. However La Albiceleste can adapt their game, so the way the match will unfold depends on their stance.

It is time for Lionel Messi to score

Before we would have a look at any tactics or possible scenarios, we should consider switching immediately to the goal scorers market and wager on a goal from Lionel Messi. The Barcelona superstar did not score a goal in the competition since he found Paraguay’s net from the spot in Argentina’s opening game. He even failed to score in the 6-1 thrashing of La Albirroja in the semifinal, however operating mainly from midfield and feeding his fellow attackers with three assist, he demonstrated how a complete player he actually is.

National team coach Tata Martino also emphasized that Messi’s game is not only about scoring goals, as he is completely happy with setting up chances for teammates as long as Argentina wins, gaming news report. It is actually a very logical decision to draw him back, if there are other clinical finishers in the team enjoying exceptional form, as he attracts a lot of attention from the opponent’s defense, and he can distract them in some degree and provide more space for the other forwards only by playing deeper than usual.

This is what his game is about actually, the definitive false nine, who lines up as a center forward only to drop deep, confusing the defense and arranging channels for fellow attackers. Only to play even deeper this time, in an attacking midfield role that resembles more to the one that Nandor Hidegkuti used to play in the legendary Hungarian national team of the 1950s, that started the worldwide fashion of possession football and players interchanging positions.

A Messi goal is more likely than Argentina to win in 90 minutes

All this doesn’t mean that Messi won’t do everything to get on the scoresheet against Chile in the final. The fact that he failed to score in his past four games only increases his chances to find the net from a statistician’s perspective. Just check out the odds of online sportsbooks in the US! And it is also intriguing that Messi, like the greatest players in football history, tends to help his team with a goal on the biggest occasions, as he scored in each of his three Champions League finals for Barcelona.

He also came close to score and claim the World Cup last season against Germany, but he failed to convert his biggest chance, and Joachim Low’s men pulled out an overtime victory through a brilliant goal from substitute attacker Mario Gotze. After that disappointment, and with the fresh experience of a final with Argentina, Messi will give everything and more to deliver a major trophy for his country, what would be the first in 22 years.

Bet365 offers odds of 1.95 (20/21) for Messi to score, which is, according to the online sportsbook, more likely than Argentina winning the title in regulation time, as that is 2.10 (11/10). After the semifinal against Paraguay, where he showed that how efficient he could be at setting up chances for his teammates, it is expected from him that he will continue to feed Sergio Aguero and the others with excellent balls. Therefore it is not unwise at all to consider betting on other Argentine strikers on the goal scorers market at all, as their captain’s excellent performance enhances their chances too.

All this could be affected by the tactical tinkering of course, and that will be discussed in the second part of our preview. Though US gambling laws vary from state to state, for those who reside in a territory with legalized sports betting, this final will be the perfect opportunity to start wagering on soccer games.