Argentina vs Colombia Prediction and Betting Tips: Best bets for Copa America Final

The Copa America final has delivered a showdown that the formbook could have pointed to as reigning champions and 2022 World Cup winners Argentina square up to international football's in-form team Colombia at The Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Monday 15th July (1am, BST).

Will it be a record-breaking 16th Copa America for Argentina and the perfect international send-off for Lionel Messi, or can Colombia triumph for just the second time?

La Albiceleste were the pre-tournament favourites and have just about lived up to that billing, without being in any way outstanding.

Los Cafeteros are on a lengthy unbeaten run and have reached this decider for the loss of only two goals in five games.

There is plenty of attacking talent on display, but these teams have been superb defensively and this could be a cagey affair, as so many major finals on the international stage tend to be.

Excluding Brazil's 3-1 win over Peru in 2019, three of the last four Copa America deciders have managed to produce just one goal between them, while only one team has found the net in seven of the last nine finals.

Colombia have only conceded twice en route to this stage, while Argentina's sole concession was a 92nd minute strike for Ecuador in the last-eight.

A stalemate is entirely possible, while one goal might easily be enough to sort this out.

With that cagey low-scoring affair very much in mind, there has to be a chance this goes all the way.

Two of the last four Copa America finals have gone to penalties and four of the last 11. These teams are incredibly well matched and defensively sound, they are surely going to prove hard to separate.

The longer the game wears on, the more they will become risk-averse.

If it does end in a shootout, La Albiceleste have the cult hero that is Emi Martinez between the posts and it would be a very brave call to go against him.

Jefferson Lerma earned eight yellow cards in only 28 matches for Crystal Palace last season and another in the FA Cup loss at Everton. That caution was the first of five in eight games.

He has already collected two cautions in four games at this Copa America, while finding time to score twice, including the all-important winner against Uruguay last time.

This will be tense and his ability to get cautions in clusters could resurface.