As Argentina prepares to compete in their fourth Copa America tournament, they’ll look to start strong. Already they’ve defeated El Salvador 3-0 thanks to Cristian Romero, Giovani Lo Celso and Enzo Fernandez delivering outstanding performances.
La Albiceleste will be without Lionel Messi and Paulo Dybala due to injuries, but still boast plenty of talent in its squad – Real Betis’ Guido Rodriguez as well as Valentin Carboni of Argentina are set to join.
Team Lineups
Argentina will look to build on their impressive 3-0 victory against El Salvador when they meet Costa Rica in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Lionel Scaloni boasts a strong squad; however, Barcelona star Lionel Messi remains sidelined due to an adductor injury; Paulo Dybala and Bayer Leverkusen’s Exequiel Palacios will not feature.
La Albiceleste were impressive in Philadelphia and will come into this friendly with great confidence, having won each of the last six meetings against Costa Rica. Lionel Scaloni may make changes but has an unrivaled team which should prove too powerful for Costa Rica to handle.
Nahuel Molina will begin at right back after making an impressive first impression during his debut in Philadelphia, while Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez should also play. Enzo Fernandez and Giovani Lo Celso should remain up front as part of a strong, attacking lineup.
Argentina vs Costa Rica prediction
Argentina are firm favourites to defeat Costa Rica at United Airlines Field in Los Angeles in an international friendly match-up this Wednesday. Argentina recently dismantled El Salvador 3-0 in Philadelphia, so coach Lionel Scaloni can expect another comfortable win against a young and underachieving Costa Rica team.
Nahuel Molina was penalised for an unsportsmanlike tackle near the touchline on Zamora. Argentina again threatened when Garnacho attempted to slip in Enzo from his left, but Quiros tracked his run and cleared.
Di Maria attempted a direct freekick from an unsafe area but failed to hit its target. Alexis Mac Allister was then brought down by Aguilera and awarded a dangerous freekick, but Garnacho’s attempt was deflected away and resulted in no goals being scored before halftime.
Argentina VS Costa Rica Performance
Argentina have been on an impressive run since winning their fourth Copa America crown last summer and are hoping to continue that success against Costa Rica in this international friendly. La Albiceleste have won their last four matches and boast an impressive goal difference of 14 goals!
Argentina was eager to break the deadlock during the opening half, coming close several times through Cristian Romero and Enzo Fernandez who both saw shots go wide of target but being held back by Costa Rica’s staunch defence.
Lautaro Martinez finally put an end to his goal drought with an outstanding finish into the far corner. Angel Di Maria found him running down the right flank unimpeded, before giving a pass into the box for Lautaro Martinez to exploit and score 30th goal for Argentina national football team.
Argentina executed an excellent move and Otamendi came within inches of scoring a header at the back post. Costa Rica defender Faerron received a yellow card for lately challenging Garnacho.
History
Argentina have had an impressive run in recent weeks under Lionel Scaloni but cannot take anything for granted as they prepare for Copa America. Meanwhile, Gustavo Alfaro’s Costa Rica have struggled for consistency but will look to improve as they head into World Cup qualifiers.
Argentina began the second half with an excellent opportunity, when Garnacho sent in a low cross that found Tagliafico but his header went wide of goal. Soon afterwards, Lo Celso attempted to send in long ball but his effort was blocked for a corner kick.
Angel Di Maria of Argentina makes an immediate impactful contribution from a free-kick, with his accurate delivery finding its mark to find its target in the bottom corner past Navas – ending Lautaro’s long goalless streak for his nation.
Final words
After an uneven start, Argentina eventually controlled most of the second half. They needed someone to step up to help break a deadlock, and that person proved to be Angel Di Maria with his stunning free-kick that leveled things out and set up Alexis Mac Allister and Lautaro Martinez’s goals en route to a 3-1 win in Los Angeles.
Starting the game off right, Di Maria delivers an accurate shot from the edge of the area; unfortunately it falls just wide of its target. Enzo then attempts a shot from inside his area; unfortunately his effort goes high and wide of its intended goal. Hope you find the Argentina National Football Team Vs Costa Rica National Football Team Lineups.
World champions Argentina were still struggling to break through and it appeared they would need Lionel Messi back for them to find any form of scoring. But Di Maria’s brilliant free-kick in the 52nd minute made an instantaneous difference; scoring his first goal since 2022’s World Cup and sparking an amazing rally that culminated with three goals being scored against South American champions in LA for Argentina.
