Argentina has already qualified for the knockout stages of the Copa America, but does not have a coach for this match. Lionel Scaloni is suspended because his team came out of the last match late after half-time. This has long been an intimidation factor used by Argentina to unsettle their opponents and it has even found its way to Inter Miami thanks to Lionel Messi and Tata Martino, but CONMEBOL has suspended Scaloni and fined the Argentine Football Association for this. Chile will also be without manager Ricardo Gareca for similar reasons.
But Scaloni won’t be the only Lionel missing from the match, at least from the start. Messi is struggling with a hamstring injury in what should have been a home game for him. He continued to play in the match against Chile after sustaining the injury but is now on the daily list. However, he was benched to start the match, so there is a chance he could play. If not, the expectation is that he can progress to the quarter-finals, as long as there are no setbacks.
“I felt some discomfort in my right hamstring at the beginning of the match. It was tight. It wasn’t as loose as it should have been. But I was able to finish the match. We’ll see how it goes.” Messi said after the match. “In the first turn my adductor became stiff. I didn’t feel a puncture or tear, but I did find it difficult to move freely.”
Here are our storylines, how to watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Saturday June 29 | Time: 8:00 PM ET
- Place: Hard Rock Stadium – Miami Gardens, Florida
- TV: FS1 | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
- Chances: Argentina -201; Sign +300; Peru +650
Storylines
Argentina: With Argentina having booked their place in the knockouts, Messi would likely be rested for this match anyway. It’s an opportunity to give younger players a chance to shine. Two players expected to start are Valentin Carboni and Alejandro Garnacho, who have not yet appeared in the tournament. Carboni is praised by Messi and is someone who can be seen as a future creative force for Argentina, so this is a great opportunity for him to play. Messi’s fitness will be a concern, but this is a tournament in which Argentina can learn to play without their talisman as the squad is extremely talented in their own right.
Peru: Looking for something positive in the Copa América, Peru have a shot at the knockout if they can topple Argentina, but they have also not scored a goal in tournament play so far. Miguel Araujo will miss the match after being shown a red card against Canada, so it will be up to Gianluca Lapadula to be more clinical in front of the net. The 34-year-old has established himself in good positions for Peru but is yet to find the net and a goal must be scored on Saturday.
Prediction
Argentina has far too much depth that Peru cannot deal with and that will shine as young players like Garnacho step up to push the team to victory. Choose: Argentina 2, Peru 0
