Gerardo Martino expects attacking Chile in Copa America final

Argentines are coming up against tough defensive opposition in this year’s showpiece.

ARGENTINA coach Gerardo Martino says his side are fully focused on claiming the 2015 Copa America title when they face hosts Chile in the final on Saturday.

Chile managed to make it all the way to this year’s South American continental championship final as hosts, where they will face Argentina in Santiago later this evening.

Martino has praised the hosts for their hospitality over the course of the tournament, but says now their only aim to add to their 14 previous Copa titles.

“We have been treated wonderfully here,” said Martino.

“But this is football. We have to play with the ball and try to win the game.”

With a strong front-line consisting of Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Angel Di Maria, the Argentines have come up against tough defensive opposition in this year’s showpiece.

However, Martino is relishing the prospect of an all-attacking final as he does not expect Chile to change their usual attacking approach.

“It’s very difficult for them to change their style,” he said.

“They have been insisting on an idea for some time now, so they may change personnel, but when it comes to the game itself and how they approach it, Chile will be the same as they always are.”

Messi and co. will be competing in their second major final within the space of a year, having lost to Germany in last year’s World Cup final, but Martino believes his players have the psychological edge over their rivals.

“There’s an emotional aspect here,” he said. “But the players know all about that because they played in the World Cup final.

“They know exactly what they are going to face. In these cases, the importance of the prize tends to divert the attention away from the match, so I think the best thing we can do is to ensure we play like the team we are usually.” Kick-off.com