The Copa America 2024 Group A stage will see a clash between Argentina and Peru on Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The defending champion, Argentina, currently tops the group with a perfect record of two wins, securing their place in the quarterfinals. A victory or even a draw against Peru would guarantee Argentina the top spot in the group. On the other hand, Peru finds themselves at the bottom of the table with just one point, facing a potential early exit from the tournament. This would be their first Copa America group stage elimination since 1995.
Argentina’s manager, Lionel Scaloni, has indicated that he will rotate his starting lineup, potentially giving Lionel Messi a rest after he experienced a right hamstring tweak in their previous match against Chile. While Messi has assured fans that the injury is not serious, he admitted to discomfort in the final stages of the Chile match. Several other Argentine players, including Alejandro Garnacho, Lucas Martinez Quarta, German Pezzella, Exequiel Palacios, and Guido Rodriguez, haven’t seen any action in this Copa America edition.
Peru will be without Miguel Araujo, who received a red card in their match against Canada. Luis Advincula, who sustained an Achilles injury in the opening group fixture, also remains a question mark for Sunday’s game. The team’s all-time leading scorer, Paolo Guerrero, is on the verge of a historic milestone. With 39 Copa America goals, he needs just one more strike to equal Teodoro Fernandez’s record for most goals by a Peruvian in the tournament.
The match promises to be an intriguing encounter with Argentina aiming to solidify their top spot, while Peru desperately seeks a victory to avoid elimination. With potential changes on both sides, the encounter will test the depth of both squads and could reveal new contenders in the tournament.
