Argentina vs Ecuador Spreads, Totals, Odds & Betting Prediction

The group stage is done at Copa America, but for the 8 teams still in with a shot at winning it all, there is little time to rest and recoup.

The quarterfinals are set to get underway on Thursday night, which just happens to be the 4th of July.

My Analysis

Unfortunately, the host nation, United States, will not be part of the party, as they crashed out in the group stage.

Instead, it will be the defending champions, Argentina, getting things rolling in the Round of 8 with a matchup against Ecuador, a team that they are very familiar with thanks to World Cup qualifying.

It is no real surprise to learn that the World Champions, according to MyBookie Sportsbook, are favored by 1 ½, with the goal total for this one set at 2 ½.

Will the champions take one step closer to a repeat, or will we see yet another upset at this tournament? Let’s take a closer look.

Argentina Betting Line -206

As expected, Argentina made things look pretty easy in the group stage, winning all 3 games and basically looking dominant from start to finish.

They did have a couple of scares in their opening game against Canada, but they showed their class in front of goal to come away with a 2-0 win.

Argentina had another tough go of it in Game 2 of the group stage, but in fairness, they never really looked to be in any read danger, eventually picking up a 1-0 win.

Their final game came without Lionel Messi in the lineup, but Argentina didn’t seem to miss him too much, rolling out to a 2-0 win over Peru.

We are still waiting to see if Messi will be available for this one, and while the signs seem positive, my guess is that he will start on the bench and only play if needed, which seems unlikely.

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MyBookie Copa America Odds & Lines to Win Today

Ecuador Betting Line +690

Things did not get off to a good start for Ecuador, who lost 2-1 in their opening game versus Venezuela.

They needed something out of their second game, which came against Jamaica, and they delivered the goods with a 3-1 win.

Still, it looked as though their hopes of making it to the knockout stage might not be that great, as their final game came against Mexico, who needed a win to move on.

The Mexicans were unable to finish off a game that they dominated, with that one ending in a 0-0 tie, which was good enough to give Ecuador 4 points overall and a spot in the quarterfinals.

Given their record against Argentina, this is more than likely as far as they will go in the tournament, but it is still better than expected.

Argentina vs Ecuador Betting Prediction

There are sure to be some who will see the likely absence of Lionel Messi as a potential problem, but this is a game that Argentina should be able to win without him.

Better to let the legend have a rest and save him for the tougher challenges still to come.

Copa America Betting Prediction: Argentina 2-0 Ecuador
Draw: +285