Copa America 2024 Odds & Picks: Thursday (Argentina vs. Ecuador)
We're onto the Knockout round of Copa America. The action gets underway on Thursday with a matchup between Argentina and Ecuador. Argentina, who won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, cruised to a Group A title (3-0-0, +5 GD). They'll take on Ecuador, who placed second in Group B with a record of 1-1-1 (+1 GD).
Below I'll dive into Thursday’s Copa America 2024 match between Argentina and Ecuador and share my favorite play for this elimination contest. Kickoff is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET from NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, USA.
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Thursday's Best Copa America Bets: Argentina vs. Ecuador
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Argentina (-215) vs. Ecuador (+750), DRAW (+300) | O/U 2.5 (+145/-185)
The reigning World Cup champions look like they're in championship form once again. I'm not going to overthink this one, I'm riding with Argentina -1.0 (-130). They're the top men’s team in the world, per the FIFA rankings. You have to scroll down quite a ways to find Ecuador, which comes in at 30th in the world.
Argentina was sharp in all aspects of the game during the group stage, out-scoring their opposition 5-0. Their goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez, kept a tournament-leading three clean sheets. Offensively, The White and Sky Blue netted five goals but posted an expected goals (xG) mark of 7.9. Essentially, they had even more quality scoring chances than the final scores reflected.
This will be the third meeting between these two nations since September of last year. Argentina won both matches 1-0 (2026 World Cup qualifier, friendly). I respect Ecuador's game and they have a pretty solid defense (3.4 xGA during the group stage), so I'm going to lay a flat 1.0 goal rather than the Asian handicap of -1.25. This way we have a push to fall back on.
Ultimately, Argentina has the edge in talent and they looked flawless during group play, so I expect them to take care of business in the first 90 minutes.
Bet: Argentina -1.0 (-130)