Key events
Team news
Argentina make eight changes, bringing back all first-choice players who were rested for the final group match against Peru. The in-form Lautaro Martinez starts up front with Lionel Messi.
Ecuador make one change from the 0-0 draw against Mexico: defensive midfielder Carlos Gruezo replaces striker Kevin Rodriguez.
Argentina (4-4-2) E Martinez; Molina, Romero, Lisandro Martinez, Tagliafico; De Paul, Mac Allister, Fernandez, Gonzalez; Messi, Lautaro Martinez.
Substitutes: Armani, Rulli, Otamendi, Pezzella, Acuna, Lucas Martinez, Montiel, Di Maria, Paredes, Rodriguez, Lo Celso, Palacios, Carboni, Alvarez, Garnacho.
Ecuador (4-3-2-1) Dominguez; Preciado, Torres, Pacho, Hincapie; Franco, Gruezo Caicedo; Paez, Sarmiento; Valencia.
Substitutes: Galindez, Ramirez, Porozo, Hurtado, Loor, Ordonez, Micolta, Mena, Corozo, Cifuentes, Yeboah, Ortiz, Minda, Jordy Caicedo, Rodriguez.
Hello, good evening and welcome to live coverage of the first quarter-final of the 2024 Copa América: defending champions, favourites and world champions Argentina v Ecuador. It feels like a foregone conclusion – but then again, so do all the thousands of shocking results sprinkled throughout football history, from Belo Horizonte 1950 to Manila 2001That’s why we keep coming back.
Rob will be here shortly. In the meantime, here are our power rankings from the tournament so far:
1) Argentina
Argentina won all three group stage matches and finished top of Group A, above Canada, Chile and Peru.
They romped to victory with Lionel Messi in the line-up. But, crucially, they looked dominant without him in their final group game, which he missed through injury. Messi has returned to full training and look likely to play in the quarterfinals. If not, they could do a lot worse than putting Alejandro Garnacho in the team.
In Messi’s absence, Lautaro Martinez has been on fire. After starting the tournament on the bench, Martinez has forced his way into the starting lineup, scoring four goals in three games, two of them from the bench.
If you go back a line, Argentina’s midfield is ready to beat you – and they want to push it in your face. “What I do is choose an enemy,” midfield general Rodrigo De Paul told Telemundo. “Well, let’s say a rival, because that doesn’t sound so bad. I want to have a dispute that keeps me on my toes. It’s not just that I want to win. I want to beat you. I make it personal.”
Good luck to Argentina’s opponents in the knockouts. They’ll need it.
2) Colombia
Colombia have gone 26 games without losing. They haven’t lost since February 2022. That’s objectively insane.
Sure, their failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup preceded this great run of form and puts a bit of a damper on the run. But now, 18 months away from that World Cup, Colombia look a real threat to extend that unbeaten run all the way to the final.
Colombia finished top of Group D, beating Paraguay and Costa Rica before drawing in their clash with Brazil. Despite conceding a wonder goal from a free kick, they fought back to earn the point that would keep them in first place and book a place with an overmatched opponent in the quarter-finals: Panama.
You can read the rest of the rankings here: