Argentina vs Ecuador: Quarter-final, Copa America 2024
In a rematch of the 2021 Copa America quarter-finals, reigning champions Argentina will face off against Ecuador at NRG Stadium in Houston on Thursday, with a spot in the semi-finals on the line.
Argentina, known as La Seleccion, dominated Group A with a perfect record, winning their last match 2-0 against Peru. Meanwhile, Ecuador held Mexico to a 0-0 draw, securing second place in Group B.
Lionel Scaloni's squad had an almost flawless opening phase, winning all three of their matches without conceding a goal.
Remarkably, all five goals scored by Argentina in the group stage came in the second half, and they haven't trailed in a Copa America match since the 2019 semi-finals, when they lost 2-0 to Brazil.
Argentina enters this match on an eight-game winning streak across all competitions, having conceded just two goals during this run.
Their recent history in the Copa America quarter-finals has been dominant, with Argentina winning their last three such matches by a combined score of 9-1.
Argentina's possible starting lineup:
E. Martinez; Molina, Romero, Li. Martinez, Tagliafico; Di Maria, De Paul, Mac Allister; Messi, La. Martinez, Alvarez
Ecuador's possible starting lineup:
Dominguez; Preciado, Torres, Pacho, Hincapie; Franco, M. Caicedo; Yeboah, Paez, Sarmiento; Valencia