Argentina | VS | Bolivia |
| Date/Time: | Jul 2, 2011, 12:45am(GMT) |
| Competition: | Copa America 2011 |
| Live/Repeat: | Live |
| Venue: | Estadio Ciudad de La Plata (La Plata, Provincia de Buenos Aires) |
Argentina vs Bolivia Match Preview
And at last, the 2011 Copa America will get underway with Bolivia providing hosts Argentina a tricky start. Let the action begin!
Lionel Messi suffered a nightmare against Bolivia last year. What's next for Argentina this time round?
Huge cheers from the home crowd, high tension and pure football. This is what followers of the 2011 Copa America are anticipating. In particular, all eyes will be on Lionel Messi. The Argentine, who inspired Barcelona to the double last season, is under pressure to achieve silverware with his country.
Another player among the Albicelestes that is set to capture the public’s attention is Carlos Tevez. The striker’s relationship with coach Sergio Batista is believed to be sour.
All the same, Tevez will reportedly play as a starter against Bolivia. According to Cancha Llena, Argentina’s starting XI could see Angel di Maria dropped for an attacking line composed of Tevez, Messi and Lavezzi.
Bolivia’s roster, meanwhile, is rather modest. However, they will be bolstered by at least two things—the first being their 6-1 thrashing of Argentina a year ago, the second being the presence of their president, Evo Morales. As Fox Sports television reported, Bolivia president Evo Morales stated in the build-up to the 2011 Copa America’s opener:
“I will attend the opening match to support Bolivia's soccer national team. We are sure that we will be able to play well, although we have a lot of respect for the Argentine team with all its world star players.
“I love sports, especially soccer. We are going to accompany the Bolivian team in the first match in order to lend support to our team. I have a lot of faith in the Bolivian team. I believe they will represent us with dignity in this Copa America held in Argentina.”
