Three goals for Argentina. Three goals for Lionel Messi.
The generational superstar made history in more ways than one: he became the first male player to play in six World Cups and tied the tournament’s all-time goalscoring record.
La Selección’s success is heavily contingent on Messi’s ability to create chances by finding space between the lines. But even aside from Messi’s brilliance, Argentina won by delivering an all-around disciplined performance that kept Algeria from manufacturing any scoring opportunities; they outshot The Desert Warriors 6-1.
Austria opened with their first World Cup appearance in 28 years with a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Jordan. The match remained level until a Jordan own goal gave over the lead, which was then followed by veteran striker Marko Arnautovic converting on a penalty.
Argentina will face the Austrians on Monday in Dallas priced as cheap as -150 at Fanatics Sportsbook — a large market discrepancy from the -200 tag the reigning World Cup champions have elsewhere.
These Group J countries have only played each other twice and both friendlies date back more than three decades. So with historical trends irrelevant, we’re left to evaluate where the big-game pedigree lies — and it’s heavily favoring La Selección.
This Argentinian team is loaded with world-class balance with Messi, Lautaro Martinez, Julian Alvarez and Nico Paz all priced with shorter than 2/1 odds to score in this match. Along with Rodrigo De Paul and Emiliano Martinez, this is the core that is responsible for winning the World Cup in 2022.
They’re going to dominate the ball with Messi dropping into pockets and Álvarez and Almada making runs to exploit spaces against Austria’s higher defensive line.
Coach Scaloni’s side manages tempo well and is strong defensively as a unit, which should make it difficult for Austria to create sustained chances.
Austria will rely on Rangnick’s high-press system, looking to win the ball in midfield and attack quickly through Marcel Sabitzer, Romano Schmid and Marko Arnautović all while the advancing full-backs. I can see a competitive game in the early minutes, but Argentina’s superior quality in the final third and ability to punish space behind the press will be a lot to handle.
Argentina has now gone four straight matches with multi-goal victories and clean sheets. Their price to net another couple is worth the gamble.
THE PLAY: Argentina Over 1.5 goals (-150, FanDuel)
Sean Treppedi handicaps the NFL, NHL, MLB and college football for the New York Post. He primarily focuses on picks that reflect market value while tracking trends to mitigate risk.
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