Argentina vs Algeria: prediction & betting odds 17 June 2026

Betting Tip

Argentina, led by Lionel Messi on the pitch and his namesake Scaloni on the bench, will set out to defend their title, but many even have doubts about them reaching the quarter-finals. The team will have to prove everything all over again.

The World Cup winners' curse did not affect France in 2022, when they faced Argentina in the final in Qatar. France desperately prevented Argentina from winning until the penalty shootout itself. The team have not become weaker. Veterans such as Angel Di Maria and Franco Armani have left. Some players, such as Guido Rodriguez, lost the competition for places. Paulo Dybala is also no longer the same player, so he is not in the 26-man squad either. But Leo Messi, at almost 39, is still good. At least, against the Iceland national team. As soon as he came on as a substitute midway through the second half, he immediately won a penalty by playing a splitting pass to Lautaro Martinez. Because of him, opponents have noticeably more chaos in defence. You cannot simply shut down a genius.

When Leo Messi is not in the line-up, Argentina can play in a 4-2-3-1 system. When the captain appears on the pitch, Scaloni usually switches to an attacking 4-3-3. There are some changes in defence. Leonardo Balerdi injured a calf muscle in training and will no longer be able to take part in the World Cup - a replacement has not yet been named. But Cristian Romero has returned to fitness. The Tottenham centre-back had not played since April because of a knee problem, but came off the bench in both warm-up games in June.

Algeria are not as simple an opponent as the meeting with the Netherlands showed. Yes, they took a serious battering in the first 20 minutes, when there was a shot against the post and several other dangerous moments, but goalkeeper Luca Zidane, who only made his debut for his historical homeland in 2025, found his rhythm. Vladimir Petkovic's team, against an opponent like Argentina, will also keep their main forces behind the ball, hoping for quick attacks, usually led by Amine Gouiri or Mohamed Amoura. Riyad Mahrez, who has slipped off the European radar, is still delivering superb passes. In every line except goalkeeper, the Desert Foxes have players from leading European clubs.

So the world champions certainly will not have it easy against an Arab team who have become more systematic under the Serbian specialist. They cannot do without Leo Messi in the line-up. Emiliano Martinez also needs to avoid a costly mistake in goal - you never know when to expect one from him, although he is undoubtedly a top-class keeper. It was a long time ago, in 2007, but even then Algeria only narrowly lost to Argentina (3:4). We think the Desert Foxes will again be very close - the minimal positive handicap suits a solid bet.