Argentina's younger players are set to be given the opportunity to shine in their Copa America group meeting with Peru. (More Football News)
Reigning champions Argentina secured their spot in the quarter-ꦑfinals of the competition following the🐠ir 1-0 win over Chile on Wednesday.
It offers the opportunity for Lionel Scaloni to experiment with his side, and he is hopeful Argentina's youngsters can seize the moment aga𝓀inst La Blanquirroja. 💯;
"We are satisfied, and we can enjoy the days, and give the younges🦹t ones minutes," Scaloni said. &n𓆏bsp;
"I think it's fair to have t꧅he players that did not ha༺ve minutes get onto the pitch."
"Hopeꦇfully when we give them (young players) the opportunit🐓y, they will be able to seize it."
La Albiceleste, however, will be without captain Lionel Messi, who will be rested for the knockout stages of the comp💟etition after missing training on Thursday.
"I felt some discomfort in my right haꦬmstring at the begin🅺ning of the game," Messi said after the win over Chile.
"In the first play, my adductor got hard. I🐻 didn't feel a tear, 𝄹but I did find it difficult to move freely.
"It wasn't as loos💦e as it should've been. But I was able to finish the game. We'll see how it goes."
Peru, meanwhile, know they must earn a first victory over their opponents since June 19ꦅ97, a 2-1 win at the Copa America to progress to the quarter-finals.
Th🧜ey have picked up just one point from their opening two group games, losing late on to Canada last time out thanks to Jonathan David's winner.
Jorge Fossati's side are now winless in their last five games at the tournament,&🧔nbsp;their lไongest winless streak in the competition (since at least 1993) and face an enormous task against the current world champions.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Argentina - Nicolas Gonzalez
Having watched Argenti🗹na's opening game triumph over Canada from the bench, Gonzalez was brought into the side to face Chile, and his influence on proceedings was evident.
Gonzalez had the most touches in the opposition box (10), shots on target (two) and second-most 🥀shots (three), only bettered by Alexis Mac Allister and Rodrigo De Paul (both four).
The Fiorentina winger has be🐻en involved in more attacking sequences per 90 than any other player to have played 𒀰a minimum of 45 minutes in the tournament, giving Scaloni food for thought with his team selection on Sunday.
Peru - Gianluca Lapadula
Peru are one of on๊ly five sides yet to open their account at the Copa America this year following their goalless draw with Chile and 1-0 defeat to Canada.
Their last international goal came in a pre-tournament friendly against El Salvador, but Lapa🌠dula showed promising signs against Canada that a goa🅺l was forthcoming.
Lapadula registered the most shots (four) and touc🥀hes in the opposition box (three) of any player in the Peru squad, and will want to add to his 10 intern🦄ational goals.
MATCH PREDICTION: ARGENTINA WIN
The Opta supercomputer is heavily backing Argentina to sta🌳y perfect at the 2024 Copa America. They won 75.8% of the pre-match simulations, while Chile won just 10.2%.
This will 🌼be Argentina's 13th meeting with Peru at the tournament, with La Albiceleste recording a win and a clean sheet in their last two meetings at the Copa America (1-0 in 2004, 4-0 in 2007).
Should they emerge victorious, Argentina will have three consecu♕tive wins against Peru in the comp༒etition for the first time since between 1927-1947 (W7).
A win will see them triumph in all of their group games for the third time this centurꩲy. However, they will be hoping to rewrite history having finished runners-up in the two previous instances in which they achieved a 100% win rate in the group stage (2016 and 2007).
Peru, meanwhile, will be looking to remain in the tournament. A defeat will see them eliminated from the competition without a win for the first ti🍃me since 1995, when they recorded two losses (v Brazil and Ecuador) and one draw (v Colombia) in the gr𝕴oup stage.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Argentina - 75.8%
Draw - 14%
Peru - 10.2%
