Argentina vs El Salvador Prediction & Betting Tips

Argentina take on El Salvador in a friendly staged in the USA, as they look to continue preparations for this summer’s Copa America.

Date: 23/03/24

Kick-off time: 00:00

Venue: Lincoln Financial Field

Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL, is the venue for this weekend’s game between World Champions Argentina and El Salvador.

Despite it being a friendly, Argentina will use this match as a way to look at different players ahead of the upcoming Copa America. Lionel Messi will captain the side, with Angel Di Maria also present. However, there is some young talent coming through, with the likes of Alejandro Garnacho and Brighton pair Valentin Barco and Facundo Buonanotte receiving call-ups. Garnacho has enjoyed a very good individual campaign for Manchester United so far, scoring seven goals in all competitions. He has appeared in just one match at senior international level, so he will be hoping to add to his caps during this international break. Buonanotte has scored three Premier League goals for the Seagulls with one assist. Barco has seen limited time at left-back, but scored for the Argentina U23s earlier this season. There is plenty of other Premier League representation in the squad, including Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez and Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez.

This friendly presents a break from 2026 World Cup qualification. Argentina are in a great position to qualify once more, sitting top of the standings with five wins from six. Messi leads the way in attack, with three goals in these games. They have also conceded just two, highlighting their strengths at the back. El Salvador have scored only two goals in their last six games, so they are unlikely to find the back of the net in this one.

These two nations have met twice in their histories, the latest being in 2015. This was also a friendly, as Argentina were victorious 2-0. Nester Renderos scored an own goal, before Federico Mancuello doubled the lead late on. The only other meeting was all the way back in 1982, though this took place during the World Cup. It was a group stage game, in which Argentina also came out on top 2-0. Daniel Passarella and Daniel Bertoni were the goalscorers.

Argentina

Lionel Scaloni has named a squad with a balance of veterans and youngsters, with Lionel Messi once again captaining the team. Young names from the Premier League include Alejandro Garnacho, Valentin Barco and Facundo Buonanotte, who will all be eager to impress.

El Salvador

El Salvador’s squad includes 20-year old forward Nathan Ordaz of LAFC for the first time.

Argentina

In their last five games, Argentina have won four and lost one. The current World Champions are hoping to retain their trophy and are in a strong position to qualify for the next tournament. This stretch of games began with a comfortable 3-0 win at Bolivia. Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez opened the scoring on the half hour mark. The hosts were reduced to ten men as Roberto Fernandez saw red shortly after. Argentina were able to take advantage of their extra player by adding another goal before the half, through Nicolas Tagliafico. Nicolas Gonzalez scored a third late on.

This preceded a narrow 1-0 victory over Paraguay. They were all over their opponents from minute one and scored the opener in the third minute, with Nicolas Otamendi the scorer. This was the only goal of the game despite their dominance. A 2-0 win at Peru followed, as Lionel Messi scored a brace to secure the win. They also had an excellent defensive performance, restricting the hosts to zero shots on target. Uruguay were the only team able to beat Argentina in this stretch as they won 2-0. Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo broke the deadlock before the break and Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez doubled the lead late on. Their latest game was a huge clash with rivals Brazil. In what was a fiery affair, they came out on top as 1-0 winners. There was very little to split the pair throughout the game, but Otamendi’s 63rd minute goal proved to be the difference. Joelinton saw red towards the end of the game, but this had no impact on the outcome.

El Salvador

In their last five games, El Salvador have drawn four and lost one. The majority of these games were friendlies, but the side are in a poor run of form, failing to pick up a win. The first game of this stretch was a CONCACAF Nations League fixture, in which they drew 0-0 at home to Martinique. This has been their only point of the tournament so far, after four games. They sit bottom of their group.

A pair of friendlies against Curacao followed, with both ending in the same outcome. Each game finished 1-1, with El Salvador coming from behind twice. In the first meeting, they conceded a third minute goal to Juninho Bacuna to fall behind. They got back on level terms in the 87th minute through Diego Alejandro Flores Sanchez. The next game followed a similar pattern as Styven Vasquez cancelled out Curacao’s opener.

They took on Lionel Messi and Inter Miami in a hybrid friendly. The MLS side dominated with 67% possession, but neither team could find the breakthrough as it ended 0-0. Their latest game was an exhibition match at Costa Rica, though they were beaten 2-0. The hosts scored a goal in each half to condemn El Salvador to defeat.

Before they take on Argentina, El Salvador face Bonaire in another friendly on Wednesday.

Argentina keep a lot of clean sheets, whilst El Salvador struggle to put the ball in the net, so there is only one way this game is likely to go. With the quality that the World Champions possess, expect them to pick up a comfortable victory – Argentina 2-0 El Salvador

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Argentina vs El Salvador will not be available to watch on TV in the UK.

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