By The knockout stages for the Copa America are finally here, with Lionel Messi and Argentina set to take on Ecuador in the first of four quarter-finals. Keep in mind that Copa America knockout matches will go straight to a penalty shootout if the game is tied after 90 minutes, except the final, which will have extra time if it’s needed.
With that being said, let’s dive into some of my favorite bets on DraftKings Sportsbook for Thursday’s match.
Argentina’s main man has got off to a slow start in this year’s Copa America, failing to score in each of Argentina’s first two group games. He did not feature in their third group game, along with many other of their starters, as qualification had already been secured. Messi not scoring in an Argentinian shirt is a rarity, and I think this mini-drought will come to an end on Thursday.
Heading into the tournament, Argentina played five World Cup qualifying games, in which he scored three goals. Before that, he scored seven goals in seven games while leading his country to the World Cup in 2022. It’s just a matter of time before the Captain gets on the scoresheet, and I think that will be the case against Ecuador. Messi will also be on free kick and penalty duties as always, which gives him an even better chance to get that breakthrough goal. In his career, he has 108 goals in 184 appearances for Argentina, so betting on Messi to do what he always does seems like the right play here.
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This bet will be found under Game Parlays, and it’s the Moneyline/Total section. For this to hit, we need Argentina to win the game and two or more total goals to be scored in the 90 minutes. This bet has hit in two of their first three games, with the only exception being the 1-0 win over Chile.
Since their World Cup triumph, Argentina have won 16 of their 17 total games, and this bet has hit in 11 of those 17 games. I feel pretty confident that against this kind of competition, Argentina should be able to score a couple of goals, although we just need two or more combined from both teams. Ecuador will likely defend pretty deep, so I’m not counting on them to contribute too much to the total. In the Fifa World Rankings, Argentina sits 1st while Ecuador comes in at 30th. Ecuador also qualified for the quarter-finals in arguably the weakest group in Copa America and has not faced competition like this yet. If you are feeling hesitant about the over 1.5 goals, I’d also recommend looking at Argentina Half Time/ Full Time (+115), which needs Argentina to be ahead at halftime and then go on to win the game.
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is ciarandoyle77) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
