Argentina U20 vs Mali U20 Predictions

Argentina come into this last-16 fixture having won Group F, though they only came through on goal difference, while they disappointed against South Korea last time out. Mali aren’t exactly a top side, but they proved that they’re no mugs when tussling with France last time out, so Fernando Batista’s youngsters will have to improve.

They may have lost on Friday night, but it’s not as if Argentina went through their game against South Korea without creating a decent amount going forward. They looked somewhat shaky at the back, and were certainly vulnerable to the break, though their efforts going forward were far from poor.

Prior to their defeat against the South Koreans, Argentina played well against Portugal, as they created 1.42 expected goals for and conceded only 0.69 on route to a 2-0 win. Before that their creativity and final-third productivity was in full swing, as they posted 2.34 expected goals for on their way to beating South Africa by five goals to two. That said, they were anything but sturdy in defence.

Interestingly, in the two games where Argentina have dictated possession, they’ve left themselves open and have offered little resistance against the counter. It is the South American side that is likely to dominate the ball on Tuesday, so Mali ought to feel upbeat about their attacking chances.

Much like Argentina, Mali have looked useful going forward in Poland; they scored twice against a strong France outfit last time out, while they’ve now notched a total of seven goals in three games. Against Saudi Arabia on match-day two, Mamoutou Kane’s men looked very dangerous on the break, a theme that continued last time out, though they also looked weak at the back. Despite the Saudi Arabians accumulating just four shots at goal, Mali shipped three goals. Their defensive frailties were there for all to see against both Panama and France too. The African side may have scored in each of their three games, but they’re yet to keep a clean sheet, which is a bit worrying ahead of a match against an Argentina side that doesn’t lack firepower.

From a betting point of view, ‘Over 2.5 Goals & Both Teams to Score’ makes plenty of appeal. Both Argentina and Mali have shown quality in the final third, as they’ve scored in 100% of their games at this tournament, though both have also looked dodgy at the back. Given an average of 2.67 goals for (Argentina) and an average of 2.33 goals for (Mali), coupled with the fact that there’s been an average of 2.9 expected goals in Argentina’s matches, it’s easy to feel that a high-scoring game, where both teams register on the score-sheet, is more likely than the current odds suggest.