Argentina vs. Bolivia: Date, Time, Live Stream and 2015 Friendly Preview

Argentina will be without Barcelona's Lionel Messi when they take on Bolivia on Saturday in their final warm-up match ahead of the Copa America. 

Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez will also be missing due to Champions League final commitments, but the Argentines should still be able to put out a strong team.

Bolivia make the trip to San Juan to face the Copa America favourites without forward Gustavo Pinedo and face a tough task as they prepare for the competition in Chile.

Read on for all the relevant scheduling and television information ahead of Saturday's encounter, plus a full preview of the match.

Date: Saturday, June 6

Time: 10 p.m. BST/5 p.m. ET

TV Info: beIn Sports (USA)

Live Stream: beIN Sports Connect

Preview

Bolivia are on the up, to an extent. El Verde have endured a nightmare last couple of years form-wise, but they finally picked up a win in their last match as they beat Venezuela 3-2.

It was their first victory in 15 matches, and they will hope it is a turning point ahead of the Copa America where they face a tough group with hosts Chile, Mexico and Ecuador.

With Bolivia rank outsiders for the Copa America and Argentina heavily tipped to win it, a lopsided thrashing is surely expected on Saturday. But perhaps not.

On the last three occasions these two sides have met, the match has ended in a 1-1 draw. And before that, in a 2009 World Cup qualifier, it was the Bolivians who handed out the drubbing as they beat Argentina 6-1.

A repeat of that match—in which the Argentine team suffered in high altitude—is unlikely to say the least, and Gerardo Martino's men will surely pick up a win in San Juan.

In the absence of Messi, Mascherano and Tevez, the 2014 World Cup finalists still boast enormous quality, with the likes of Sergio Aguero, Javier Pastore and Angel Di Maria.

The Mirror's Ed Malyon provides the likely starting XI, which includes players from a number of Europe's top club sides:

Without Messi, Tevez and Mascherano, Martino will be able to tinker with his side against Bolivia and try to work out some alternative formations that may be needed in the Copa America.

As James Nalton notes, Argentina have a very strong squad, but it is difficult to pick the ideal starting XI:

Saturday presents Martino with his final opportunity to experiment ahead of their first group game against Paraguay on June 13—Jamaica and Uruguay are their other group opponents.

Di Maria could play a vital part in the coming weeks, but Argentina fans will hope to see him perform at a higher level than he did for much of the 2014-15 season with Manchester United.

The winger was a key reason for Argentina reaching the World Cup final in Brazil last year, and his absence through injury was a major blow in the defeat by Germany.

Against Bolivia, Di Maria has the opportunity to play himself into some kind of form. Since 2014's World Cup final, Argentina have played seven friendlies, winning five but losing two—to Portugal and Brazil.

They will hope and expect to pick up another victory against Bolivia before the real business of the Copa America begins.