Defending champions Argentina clash with tournament debutants Cape Verde in a fairytale World Cup Round of 32 clash in Miami on Friday night
Argentina
Argentina qualified as winners of Group J with more than a degree of comfort. They won all 3 matches to finish 5 points clear of Austria and Algeria who also made it through whilst Jordan failed to pick up a point. Lionel Messi scored 6 of Argentina’s 8 goal in the group stage.
Argentina were already assured of topping the group ahead of their third match which came against Jordan in Dallas on Sunday. They won the game 3-1 with Giovani lo Celso free kick and a Lautaro Martinez penalty giving them a 2-0 half time lead. Jordan pulled a goal back early in the second half, the only goal Argentina have conceded so far but Messi came off the bench to make it 3-1 late on.
In their second outing a 2-0 win over Austria came with 2 more goals from Lionel Messi, the first on 38 minutes and the second deep into injury time.
The defending champions came through their first task with a comfortable 3-0 win over Algeria in Kansas City. The night belonged to Lionel Messi who scored a hat trick.
Cape Verde:
Although Cape Verde drew all 3 of their Group H matches few would begrudge them their place in the knockout rounds in first appearance at the WC Finals. Spain topped their group with 7 points and the Islanders were runners up with 3. Uruguay and Saudi Arabia both finished on 2 points and were eliminated.
A 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia in their final group match in Houston proved enough to see the blue Sharks through but they had the better of that game and probably ought to have won.
In their second outing Cape Verde drew 2-2 with Uruguay in Miami. They took the lead through Kevin Pina but conceded twice at the end of the first half. Helio Varela scored their second goal to make it 2-2 and that’s the way it finished.
Cape Verde made their debut in the World Cup Finals against Spain in Atlanta and they claimed a point from a 0-0 draw with their 40 year old goalkeeper Vozinha in terrific form.
The Betting (Regulation time unless stated otherwise)
Argentina are priced at around 2/11 to win the game with the draw available at 54/10 and Cape Verde can be backed at around 16/1
A game of 3 goals or more is priced at 13/20 and its 33/20 for both teams to score
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The Verdict:
Argentina have hardly had to get out of second gear whilst Cape Verde have pulled out all the stops and their draw with Spain first up speaks volumes of their determination and team spirit. However I take the view that Argentina will get the first goal in this game and they can add to that in the second period.
Bets: Argentina to score in both halves? Yes at 8/10 with Hollywoodbets
Note, odds are subject to change
