Friday 04/07/2014, 18:00, World Cup Quarterfinals, Argentina vs Belgium

Argentina vs Belgium Betting Preview

Argentina is yet another team who was expected to win comfortably in the first elimination round, but the South Americans struggled against Switzerland. In the quarterfinals they faced another team from Europe, but this time they should prepare properly because Belgium will give them a run for their money. They have a hard time eliminating the United States, but dominated the match from start to finish and will try to prove their worth against one of the top favorites.

Argentina vs Belgium Betting Odds

At Bet365

Argentina 2.15, Draw 3.40, Belgium 3.75

Argentina vs Belgium Betting Tips

Argentina looked rather toothless in the first half of the match against Switzerland and their opponents missed some great scoring opportunities. Once again, all the balls were looking for Messi and despite his best efforts, the Argentinian striker failed to put one in the net.

Free kicks were dangerous for both teams and they are very likely to remain so in the quarterfinals, with Argentina having a couple of sharpshooters. Their defenses are still sub-par and even the defensive minded Switzerland had its fair share of chances, but the strikers crumbled under pressure.

The key to this game would be to exercise constant pressure over Belgium and prevent them from outshooting them as they did with the United States. Hadn't it been for Tim Howard and his miraculous saves, the Americans would've lost in regulation time, possibly by two goals or more.

The biggest problem for Belgium is that their otherwise gifted strikers are not very effective and only a small fraction of the shots sent towards the net were actually dangerous. Statistics are intimidating but behind those numbers, hides the fact that the Europeans won all their games so far by a single goal.

Key Facts

• Both teams won all games and the World Cup and all four victories were secured by a narrow margin.
• The two teams met twice at the World Cup three decades ago and they split points, with each winning team prevailing to nil

Argentina vs Belgium Betting Odds Prediction

This promises to be a spectacular quarterfinal, with both teams being better at scoring goals than defending and will be relying on their talented strikers. The reason for why Argentina is the better choice for punters despite the relatively low odds, is that they have Messi on the pitch. On a good day he is unstoppable, but even if he doesn't play at 100%, he should have enough chances against the permeable Belgian defenses.

Bet: Argentina @ 2.15 with Bet365