Argentina vs. Venezuela
Copa America Centenario – Quarterfinal 3
June 18 | 7 pm ET | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.
TV: FX, Univision, UDN
After breezing through Group D with a 3-0 record and a plus-9 goal differential, Argentina hits the knockout rounds as probably the biggest favorite to win the tournament. But their quarterfinal matchup will not be an easy one, as Venezuela looked sharp in Group C with shutout wins over Uruguay and Jamaica and an exciting draw vs. Mexico.
Hello, Mr. Messi
After sitting out Argentina’s opening match -- a 2-1 victory over Chile -- because of a back injury, global superstar Lionel Messi made his Copa America Centenario debut in unforgettable fashion, bagging a hat trick in just 19 minutes in the second half to lead Argentina to a 5-0 shellacking of Panama. Messi once again came off the bench as a second-half sub Tuesday vs. Bolivia, but is now expected to play more in the quarterfinals. It’s probably fair to say that’s bad news for Venezuela.
Will Di Maria return?
While Messi’s back injury appears to be a thing of the past, it’s unclear if Angel Di Maria is progressing as well as his teammate. The Paris Saint-Germain attacker came off during the first half of Friday’s win due to adductor injury and, with his team already having clinched a spot in the quarterfinals, did not play in Tuesday’s win over Bolivia. Argentina coach Gerardo Martino said Di Maria been practicing but wasn’t sure early in the week when he might be available.
Venezuela’s staunch defense
For the first 260 minutes of this tournament, Venezuela held their opponent scoreless -- and if not for a dazzling goal from Mexico’s Jesus Manuel Corona on Monday, that shutout streak might have continued. That included holding Uruguay to only one shot on target in a 1-0 upset that helped Venezuela secure their surprise passage into the knockout rounds. And while they’ve only scored one goal in each of three Copa games, one of them might have been the goal of the tournament.
