Argentina vs. Paraguay: Date, Time, Live Stream and 2015 Copa America Preview
Argentina will get their 2015 Copa America campaign underway on Saturday evening, taking on Group B opponents Paraguay as they seek to ignite their competition with a bang.
Gerardo Martino's side come to Chile as one of the major favourites to contend for Copa America glory, looking to go one better than the runners-up finish managed at last year's World Cup.
The Paraguayans may not be viewed as the steepest of opponents, but Argentina still have a task on their hands in living up to expectations, while their enemies run free of any such burden.
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Read on for streaming information ahead of Saturday's clash and discussion of the fixture's top talking points.
Date: Saturday, June 13
Time: 10:30 p.m. BST/5:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Estadio La Portada, La Serena
Live Stream: beIN Sports Connect (US)
Argentina Fighting Demons of 2014
The finish of second place in Brazil last year was no small accomplishment for Argentina, but there's an inevitable sense of anguish that comes with a runners-up finish, especially in the backyard of a nation's biggest rival.
Coming into this year's Copa America, Martino's men are once again being tipped for silverware glory, with Bleacher Report's Nick Dorrington and Tom Marshall of ESPN FC among those backing their cause:
The talent is evidently there and a squad packed with European-based talent has all the making of a championship team, but mental fortitude and the maturity to withstand such pressure is often another matter entirely.
Uruguay stand to be by some distance their most difficult Group B obstacle, and the Mirror's Ed Malyon doesn't see Paraguay putting up much of a fight in Saturday's competition opener:
Nevertheless, the fight isn't won just yet. Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano are coming off the back of jam-packed schedules with Barcelona following the Champions League triumph, while Juventus pair Carlos Tevez and Roberto Pereyra were also active in the Berlin final.
A long three weeks lie ahead before La Albiceleste can hope to pencil their name in the Santiago curtain call, with the team hoping to make a statement and right the wrongs that occurred 12 months ago.
Ever-Improving Messi Eyes International Acclaim
Speaking of inevitabilities, it's also impossible for Messi to avoid the tag of burden-bearer for his team coming into the Copa America. After all, the best player in the world should be claiming its biggest prizes.
Or at least that's what we're led to believe, and after claiming a treble with Barca this season, Messi is being touted by Goal.com's Peter Staunton as a new incarnation of himself, an altogether superior version:
By rights, 2015 has already been an incredible year for the diminutive attacker, whose partnership alongside Neymar and Luis Suarez has proved to be one of the most prolific in history thus far.
Messi is only too aware of the need to go all the way and claim the Copa America crown, and ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan quotes him as voicing his desire to finally give Argentina the success it demands:
"The wound of the World Cup will always be there for what it means -- we were so close to it -- but I believe that the Copa is important for Argentina... and for us to be able to win a trophy that for a long time we have not managed.
Many years have passed without lifting a Copa America. It is a dream to win a trophy with Argentina. This group deserves to be able to achieve something. After the World Cup, we were left feeling very bad and now we have a chance to win a trophy which we want a lot.
"
It often comes down to mere luck of the draw when referring to superstars and their hunt for international success; an individual can be immensely talented without necessarily seeing that pedigree rewarded in the national team.
It's been a decade since Messi made his Argentina debut, and the Olympic gold of 2008 remains his biggest tangible achievement for the nation. There may not be many more opportunities in his career than now to change that record.
