COPA: ARGENTINA v ECUADOR - THE BIG PARTY STARTS NOW!

The moment we've been waiting for is finally here. Hopes will be fulfilled, dreams temporarily shattered, red cards handed out, goals scored, VAR will determine details, and tears will fall - both of happiness and sorrow.

Or, to keep it simple - eight teams will become four. It's time for the first quarterfinal match of Copa America 2024 from the USA. Even though the host nation is out of the competition, the football-fiesta continues. Trust me when I say this: the best is yet to come!

ARGENTINA

The world champions expect to have the captain Lionel Messi back in the lineup on Friday as they continue the defense of their title with a matchup against Ecuador. No team in the Copa América has so far managed to score on Argentinian goalkeeper ”Dibu” Martinez yet, will Ecuador be the first team? Possibly on a penalty kick.

ARGENTINA predicted lineup vs Ecuador (4-3-3 ): E. Martinez (GK) - Molina, Romero, Li. Martinez, Tagliafico - Di Maria, De Paul, Mac Allister - Messi, La. Martinez, Alvarez.

ECUADOR

After missing the previous match due to suspension, Ecuador's all-time leading goalscorer Enner Valencia returned to play the full 90 minutes against Mexico, with John Yeboah stepping aside. He aims to add to his 41 international goals and make a difference against the world champions.

ECUADOR predicted lineup vs Argentina (4-2-3-1 ): Dominguez (GK) - Preciado, Torres, Pacho, Hincapie - Franco, M. Caicedo - Minda, Paez, Sarmiento - Valencia.

LET'S THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

Instead of providing a hypothetical example of how many times out of 10 the Argentine national football team wins against the Ecuadorian national football team, which isn't my main point - let's ask the AI.

THE QUESTION IS: How many times out of 10 does the Argentine men's national football team win against the Ecuadorian men's national football team?

AI RESPONDS: Based on historical performance, the Argentine men's national football team tends to win more often against the Ecuadorian men's national football team. Considering that Ecuador last won against Argentina in 2015, we can infer that Argentina wins most of their encounters.

The Argentine men's national football team wins about 7-8 times out of 10 against Ecuador. The last time Ecuador won was in 2015. However, this is a general estimate and actual outcomes can vary due to numerous factors such as team form, location of the match, player availability, and so on.

HOW DOES THE MATCH END?

Alright, maybe you're starting to see where this is heading. What I want to know is simply when it's time for the next loss according to the math. Those of you who play Texas Hold'em probably know that pocket aces win against pocket tens 80% of the time, but 20% of the time - pocket tens still win.

You might already understand my final question.

THE QUESTION IS: Considering that the Argentine men's national football team wins 7-8 times out of 10 against Ecuador, and their last loss to Ecuador was in 2015, when would the next loss occur based on this calculation of Argentina vs. Ecuador matchups?

AI RESPONDS: Based on the calculation that Argentina wins 7-8 times out of 10 against Ecuador, their next loss could be expected within the next 2-3 matchups. Since their last loss was in 2015, and assuming they play once a year, the next loss could potentially occur between 2023 and 2025.

CAMILO vs CHATGPT

Then we have the answer; a loss to expect within a certain timeframe. We do the only sensible thing and position ourselves squarely in the middle of the answer - 2024!

But hey, I'm Argentinean. I forget nothing in my favor.

”This is a general estimate and actual outcomes can vary due to numerous factors such as team form, location of the match, player availability, and so on.”

Due to the compromises, I assist ChatGPT with the circumstances and let it predict a draw in regular time. I didn’t actually ask how often it ends in a draw; we have to maintain some suspense.

Personally, I believe Argentina will score the first goal and go on to win the match. To balance my prediction against the AI's odds, I'll also bet that Venezuela will manage to score a goal.

Human vs AI, let’s go!