Argentina vs Guatemala Predictions

Argentina play their first post-World Cup match this weekend, as they face Guatemala in the early hours of Saturday morning. The South American side are looking to recover from a wild 4-3 defeat to World Cup winners France in Russia, which has likely brought an end to part of this golden generation. The Argentines remain immensely talented, but they’re currently directionless. Interim boss Lionel Scaloni takes charge after Jorge Sampaoli’s tough spell in charge. Will the temporary boss kick off with a win?

Argentina are looking ahead to a future without Lionel Messi, who once again retired from international football. Argentina were a mess in Russia, and they were lucky to even reach the last 16. They were ultimately torn apart defensively by the two finalists, which has led to an overhaul for this tournament. Gone is Willy Caballero, while while this squad features four Argentina-based defenders who are early in their international careers. Their most experienced defender here is former Everton man Ramiro Funes Mori, who has 19 appearances to his name.

Guatemala are facing a landmark occasion in this clash, as they make their way back to be big time following a suspension by FIFA. They were banned from international football until May of this year, and now they’re on their way back. Two meetings with Cuba welcomed them back to the fold, but this is much bigger. How will they match up to Argentina in this clash in Los Angeles?

The Argentines were in decent scoring form in friendlies, winning 4-0 against Haiti and 6-0 against Singapore in recent one-sided games. This match looks set to go in a similar direction. The new-look defence should hold Guatemala at bay, while the South Americans maintain their usual strength in attack. Without Messi, Paulo Dybala has a chance to step up. He’s joined by Fiorentina poacher Giovanni Simeone, Inter’s Mauro Icardi and Angel Correa of Atletico Madrid. Between them, they should rack up a big win for the Argentines.

We think backing the South American side to win easily is the way to go. We expect them to win with a -2 handicap, with 4-0 and 5-0 victories in their recent head to head clashes with Guatemala. The best value you can get on that bet is to go with a -2.5 Asian Handicap, which means we expect a three goal margin or greater in Argentina’s favour. With the Asian handicap much better value than the regular, that’s our pick on this game.