Copa America Final Location: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
Argentina VS Colombia Date: Sunday, July 14
BetXchange Copa America Final Odds:
History
The 2024 Copa America has been a wild ride. It has been entertaining and shocking in equal parts, but the tournament can’t miss TV for the past month. Fancied teams like Mexico and the USA fell early, while relative minnows Venezuela and Canada impressed. At the end of the 16 tournaments, one of the two teams fancied from the outset will lift the trophy.
Argentina will face Colombia in the final. Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, with its uber-Latino influence, will provide the perfect venue for an enthralling clash of South American heavyweights.
Their paths to this stage have been wildly different. Argentina benefited from landing on the easier side of the draw, with Mexico’s group stage elimination giving them an easier path to the final. They huffed and puffed against Ecuador in the quarters, where they won on penalties, before comfortably dispatching Canada in the semifinals.
Colombia thrashed Panama 5-0 in the quarterfinals, with the Panamanians having upset the USA to reach that stage. Their semifinal against Uruguay was by far the toughest knockout game either of these squads faced in reaching this point. Uruguay, who beat Brazil in their own quarterfinal, pushed Colombia in a nasty, personal-feeling match that Los Cafeteros won 1-0.
Argentina
Argentina has cruised to this stage without showing any form you would expect from a team featuring the likes of Lionel Messi and Alexis Mac Allister. Lauturo Martinez is the leading goalscorer in the tournament with four, while Julian Alvarez is another striker who has bags of goals in him.
The key for Argentina will be how their defence holds up. The names are there. Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez are both outstanding center-backs, but this team always looks wobbly in knockout games. The end of the Eucador game should never have happened, and even Canada created chances late on that were inexcusable. It feels like a concentration and mentality problem more than anything, but the back four will have to be more switched on here than they have been so far.
Colombia
Colombia’s semifinal win over Uruguay was not without its casualties. Right-back Daniel Munoz will miss the final, having picked up a red card in first-half stoppage time for a second bookable offense. In many ways, Colombia is lucky Munoz is the only player who saw red in that contest, with the late stages of the game, in particular, being completely out of control.
James Rodriguez has been the tournament star, rolling back the years to channel his play from the 2014 World Cup all over again. He may have some gray in his hair, but James has been outstanding in the USA. The attacking flair and combinations of James and Liverpool’s Luis Diaz will be key for Colombia.
Best Bets
Colombia hopes the old adage that ‘steel sharpens steel’ will apply here. Argentina hasn’t been tested in any way, with even their penalty win over Ecuador coming at a game where it felt like they had total control.
Colombia is a great price if you think their athleticism on the bench will allow them to steal a goal or two. 2-1 to Colombia pays 63/4. Argentina will almost certainly score, so if you fancy Colombia to win, I love those odds.
I still think Argentina will get it done. I would have them to win, scoring two or more goals, and Martinez getting on the scoresheet.
