Argentina vs. Bolivia
Copa America Centenario | Group D
June 14 | 10 pm ET | CenturyLink Field, Seattle
TV: FS1, UniMás, UDN
Argentina will try to finish group play with a perfect 3-0-0 record when they take on Group D stragglers Bolivia on Tuesday night.
La Albiceleste will be prohibitive favorites against their South American rivals, who lost both of their first two matches and have already been eliminated from contention for the knockout stages. A win or a draw would seal Group D for Leo Messi and friends, and they could even secure the top spot with a loss pending the result of the preceding Chile-Panama match.
Will Messi get a start?
After missing Argentina’s opener against Chile due to a back injury, Messi got his tournament off to a torrid start against Panama last week, coming on for the final 30 minutes and scoring a hat trick in their 5-0 victory.
Manager Gerardo Martino said Messi will play on Tuesday night, but didn’t commit to starting the Barcelona superstar.
“Messi will play in the game,” Martino said, in his pregame press conference. “We will do what we believe [best], according to the opinion of the player and the doctor. It seems to me that Leo lost his fear in the game against Panama. [When scoring his first goal] Leo made a run at speed and he felt more comfortable, much better in the game. As the days pass he will feel even better still.”
Di Maria in doubt
Messi isn’t the only Argentina star with an injury concern. Paris Saint-Germain winger Angel Di Maria left Friday’s win against Panama late in the first half due to an adductor injury and, despite making a partial return to training on Monday, is unlikely to play on Tuesday.
“I’ve seen him running around the pitch, and I see him in good spirits as well,” Martino said. “But I can’t tell you when he will be available to play.”
Regardless of whether or not they finish first or second in Group D, Argentina will play in the quarterfinals on Saturday. Martino didn’t yet know if Di Maria would be available for that game.
Battling Bolivia
They’re already out of the running for the Knockouts, but Bolivia have been feisty in both of their first two Copa America Centenario matches. They entered the final minutes of both of their games tied at 1-1, but allowed an 87th-minute Blas Perez strike in their 2-1 opening loss against Panama and were buried by a 100th-minute (yes, you read that right) penalty in Friday’s 2-1 loss to Chile.
Bolivia will hope to put up a similar fight against Argentina in their Copa finale on Tuesday night. La Albiceleste are a different animal, however, and Bolivia will need to be at their sharpest just to keep it close.
