Argentina vs. Panama Betting Odds Preview and Copa America Prediction

With Lionel Messi continuing to rest due to a back injury suffered last month his Argentinian teammates won their Copa America opener 2-1 over Chile on Monday. Argentina should face even less resistance Friday from Panama as big -575 betting favorites (wager $575 to win $100) at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark.

Match Odds: Argentina -575, Panama +1,600, Draw +550

Messi's status for Friday is still uncertain, since there is really no reason to rush him back to play big minutes against Panama in qualifying action and risk making his injury worse. However, Argentina manager Gerardo Martino previously stated the star would be available for this match.

Against Chile, the Argentinians took a 2-0 lead early in the second half after goals from Angel Di Maria and Ever Banega, the last of which proved to be the game-winner with Chile scoring in stoppage time.

Panama also earned a 2-1 victory on Monday, beating Bolivia. The Panamanians got two goals from Blas Perez to win their first-ever Copa America match. Perez gave Panama an early 1-0 lead in the 11th minute and then answered Bolivia’s equalizer in the 54th minute with his second only three minutes from the end.

However, this matchup with the tournament betting favorite will be a huge step up in competition for Panama. The pressure on the Panamanians to follow up that initial win will be enormous versus arguably the best team in the entire field, with a major letdown the likely outcome.

The Argentinians will not be experiencing anywhere near the same feelings heading into this game after already knocking off the squad that beat them in last year’s final.

Expect Argentina to get off to a strong start, tallying a goal in the first half to test Panama’s mettle. From there, a second score could be all that’s needed to put this one away. A goal by Panama would be surprising but not shocking, with under three the more probable result.

Argentina vs. Panama Prediction: 2-0 Argentina

All betting lines data courtesy of Odds Shark. Check out the latest Copa America news.