Preview: Argentina vs. Costa Rica - prediction, team news, lineups

Argentina face Costa Rica in Los Angeles on Tuesday in a meeting between two nations who will have their eyes on the Copa America this summer.

While the fans stateside will not get a chance to see Lionel Messi, Argentina's star-studded lineup will look to continue their excellent recent run.

Match preview

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Despite not having Messi available, Argentina still cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win over El Salvador last week.

Some of La Albiceleste's Premier League representatives were to thank for the win, as all three goalscorers ply their trade in England.

Tottenham Hotspur duo Cristian Romero and Giovani Lo Celso scored either side of Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez, while the former also helped Argentina to another clean sheet.

Lionel Scaloni's side have conceded just twice since their World Cup success, and they both came against Colombia in November, as Argentina have won their other 10 games to nil since Qatar.

That means they already look assured of World Cup qualification with just six games played, as they top the CONMEBOL standings ahead of attempting to defend their crown in 2026.

Another tournament they will be hoping to retain is the Copa America this summer, and Argentina found out that Canada will be their first opponents this week, after their qualification was confirmed at the weekend.

Costa Rica are another CONCACAF member that will take part in the US this summer, and they are here for some much-needed preparation this week.

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It should provide a stern test for Gustavo Alfaro's side, as they face Brazil in their group opener this summer, at a tournament where they hope they will fare better than how they managed in the Gold Cup last year.

Costa Rica only edged through their group, with the only win being a 6-4 thriller against Martinique, before crashing out to Mexico in the quarter-finals.

The quarter-finals are also as far as they got in the CONCACAF Nations League finals too, as Panama beat the Ticos 6-1 on aggregate in November.

They did manage to survive relegation from League A this week though, beating Honduras 3-1 in a playout to maintain their status in the top tier.

Friendlies have brought mixed success of late too, as wins over Saudi Arabia and El Salvador were overshadowed by a surprising heavy defeat to the United Arab Emirates.

Team News

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Messi is not in the Argentina squad due to an injury in his right hamstring, while fellow forward Paulo Dybala is also absent due to an adductor problem.

Bayer Leverkusen's key midfielder Exequiel Palacios has also dropped out with injury, joining Marcos Senesi on the sidelines.

Many players were left out of the squad from the one in November, as Marcos Acuna, Lucas Ocampos and Lucas Martinez Quarta were among those not called up by Scaloni.

Costa Rica will be led out by the hugely experienced Keylor Navas, while Joel Campbell and Francisco Calvo are set to add to their combined 225 caps here.

The rest of the squad is largely new to international football, with Elias Aguilar the next in the list for caps with just 21.

Celso Borges has recently announced his retirement from international football after earning 163 caps, while Oscar Duarte, Bryan Oviedo and Kendall Waston remain out of the squad.

Argentina possible starting lineup:E Martinez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico; De Paul, Fernandez, Mac Allister; Alvarez, L Martinez, Gonzalez

Costa Rica possible starting lineup:Navas; Taylor, Cascante, Arboine, Calvo, Mora; Madrigal, Galo, Brenes, Campbell; Ugalde

We say: Argentina 3-0 Costa Rica

Another win and an 11th clean sheet in 12 games is on the cards for Argentina here, after making light work of El Salvador last week.

Costa Rica come into the game on a high after a Nations League win over Honduras last week, but this is a devilishly difficult assignment for Alfaro's men.

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