Argentina vs. Algeria Odds, Picks & Predictions

Argentina commence their title defence with a potentially tricky contest against African giants Algeria, who participate in a World Cup for the first time since 2014.

Wednesday's keenly anticipated tie takes place at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium, several hours before Austria and Jordan clash in California to complete the first round of Group J fixtures.

With Lionel Messi set to mark his 200th international appearance by featuring at a record-breaking sixth World Cup, the Argentinian contingent in North America is ready to celebrate a landmark day for their talismanic frontman.

Argentina vs. Algeria betting picks and predictions

Argentina to win (-250)

Having finished nine points clear at the summit of the CONMEBOL qualifying table, Lionel Scaloni's men head into the tournament in high spirits.

La Albiceleste lost only four times over the course of a two-year qualification campaign, with one of those defeats coming after their place in the finals was already guaranteed.

Argentina will be desperate to start with a win on Wednesday morning, as they bid to become just the third team in history to claim back-to-back World Cup triumphs following the feats of Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962) last century.

Although their opponents are clear favourites to secure all three points, Algeria certainly won't be pushovers.

The two-time AFCON champions also topped their qualifying group by some distance, after impressively winning eight of their 10 fixtures.

Over 3.5 goals and both teams to score (+350)

Given the attacking talents of both sides, it seems inevitable that we’ll see plenty of goalmouth action at the home of the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs.

Argentina scored an eye-watering 31 goals during qualifying, before finding the net on multiple occasions in a handful of pre-tournament friendlies.

The South Americans put five past a hapless Zambia outfit just over two months ago, having recorded an emphatic 6-0 victory over Puerto Rico last October.

Boasting an average of over two goals per game by the conclusion of their CAF qualification campaign, Algeria are also capable of consistently producing the goods in the final third.

However, Vladimir Petkovic's side only managed to keep three clean sheets throughout this run, so continental rivals have been able to expose their defensive vulnerabilities.

Messi to score 2+ goals (+450)

Although he's now navigating the twilight stages of his legendary career, Messi still carries an immense attacking threat.

The Rosario-born hero has already registered 12 goals in 14 league appearances this season, after helping fire Inter Miami to the MLS Cup last term.

The fifth top scorer in World Cup history, Messi netted in all but one of Argentina's matches in Qatar as he cemented his GOAT status by lifting the iconic gold trophy.

If the eight-time Ballon d'Or recipient can convert three times more than Cristiano Ronaldo this summer, there's every chance he'll become the World Cup's all-time record goalscorer.

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Argentina vs. Algeria odds

Argentina	-250
Tie	+375
Algeria	+700

Argentina vs. Algeria player props

Anytime goalscorer

Lionel Messi (Argentina)	-120
Lautaro Martínez (Argentina)	-110
Julián Alvarez (Argentina)	+125
Thiago Almada (Argentina)	+220
Amine Gouiri (Algeria)	+400
Riyad Mahrez (Algeria)	+500

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.