Argentina vs Benin: Messi’s farewell arrives with Argentina in ruthless scoring form. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
Argentina's dominant recent form and Benin's consistent scoring create a strong case for a home win with both teams scoring. Despite Argentina's strong defence, Benin's seven-match scoring streak suggests they can breach the hosts' backline at least once, making this combined market a credible choice.
Argentina's recent high-scoring form combined with Benin's seven-match scoring streak supports a 4-1 correct score. Despite defensive vulnerabilities, Benin's ability to score once is credible, though the exact scoreline is sensitive to minor goal variations.
Lionel Messi’s 208th and final Argentina appearance gives Tuesday night’s friendly with Benin an obvious emotional centre, but the footballing evidence points just as strongly towards the hosts’ recent attacking form.
Argentina vs Benin — bet365 Market Snapshot
Swipe through key markets with illustrative probabilities and sample bet365 odds based on our match analysis.
Argentina's overwhelming recent winning record makes them strong favourites.
Argentina's dominant recent form strongly favours a home victory over Benin.
High scoring from Argentina and Benin's scoring streak suggest multiple goals in this match.
Argentina's attacking strength combined with Benin's ability to score once supports a 4-1 outcome.
Three Punchy Stats
- Argentina have scored 11 goals without reply across their last two matches, beating Bolivia 4-0 and Burkina Faso 7-0.
- Scaloni’s side have won 16 of their last 17 games and kept clean sheets in eight of their previous nine friendlies.
- Benin have scored in seven consecutive matches, giving them one encouraging attacking trend to carry into their first-ever meeting with Argentina.
Attacking Performance Comparison
Recent attacking records for Argentina and Benin are shown below.
Defensive Performance Comparison
Recent defensive records for Argentina and Benin are shown below.
Argentina return to the Estadio Monumental having beaten Bolivia 4-0 and Burkina Faso 7-0 since their World Cup final defeat to Spain. Those victories have extended a formidable sequence to 16 wins from their last 17 matches, while Lionel Scaloni’s side have also recorded eight clean sheets across their last nine friendlies.
Benin arrive with rather different expectations. Gernot Rohr’s team have made an encouraging start to 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying, drawing 1-1 with Burkina Faso before beating Mauritania 2-1, but their recent results against stronger opposition underline the scale of this assignment.
A farewell built around Messi
Messi announced his international retirement on 31 August and was not involved in Argentina’s victories over Bolivia or Burkina Faso. His return therefore changes the complexion of a side which has already scored 11 unanswered goals without him.
The 39-year-old will finish with at least 208 appearances, having scored 125 goals in his first 207. He also comes into his farewell in excellent club form, scoring 12 times in 13 Inter Miami appearances since the World Cup final and finding the net in each of his last four outings.
There could be another significant goodbye alongside him. Nicolas Otamendi has joined the squad for a final appearance following his own international retirement announcement in July, while Argentina’s 2022 World Cup winners have been invited to attend.
Scaloni also has scope to freshen his midfield after leaving Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso out of the previous two friendlies. Juan Foyth and Thiago Almada withdrew through injury, while Nicolas Tagliafico remains a doubt.
Benin have at least found a scoring habit
The challenge for Benin is to prevent Argentina’s recent momentum turning Messi’s farewell into another one-sided occasion.
Their 2-1 victory over Mauritania was notable because it was the first time they had scored more than once in a match since beating Lesotho 4-0 in September 2025. Rodolfo Aloko supplied both goals, following Tosin Aiyegun’s penalty in the 1-1 draw with Burkina Faso.
More encouragingly, Benin have now scored in seven consecutive matches. That sequence suggests they possess enough threat to make Argentina work defensively, even if their results against stronger opponents have been considerably less reassuring.
A 5-1 defeat to Togo in June sits alongside a 4-0 loss to Nigeria and a 3-0 defeat against Senegal. Egypt subsequently beat them 3-1 after extra time. Facing an Argentina side coming off consecutive four-goal and seven-goal victories represents another severe examination.
Personnel issues hardly make it easier. Abdoul Rachid Moumini could not travel because of administrative problems, while Dokou Dodo has returned to Arab Contractors. Sahid Ngobi, who has three international appearances, has been added to the squad.
This will be the first meeting between Argentina and Benin, removing any useful head-to-head reference point. Recent evidence instead creates a fairly stark contrast: Argentina have been winning relentlessly and overwhelming opponents in friendlies, whereas Benin’s improved results have come with damaging defeats against stronger sides still fresh in the record.
Messi’s goodbye will dominate the occasion. Argentina’s form suggests the match itself need not depend entirely upon him.
This combined market requires two conditions to be met in 90 minutes plus stoppage time. Argentina must win the match, AND Benin must score at least one goal. If Argentina win 3-0 with a clean sheet, the bet loses. If the match finishes in a 1-1 draw, the bet also loses.
Over 4.5 Goals wins if the match contains at least five total goals, regardless of which team scores them. This trades the necessity of an away goal for a pure volume requirement, covering scorelines like 5-0 alongside 4-1, though it demands a remarkably high-scoring fixture.
📊 Market Explainer
Win & Both Teams to Score
Selection: Argentina to win and both teams to score. The selected team must win in normal time and both teams must score. If the selected team draws or loses, or either side fails to score, the bet loses.
Correct Score Market
Selection: Argentina vs Benin 4-1. Predict the exact score at the end of 90 minutes plus stoppage time. Extra time and penalties do not count unless the bookmaker states otherwise.
🎯 Pick 1: Argentina to win and both teams to score @ 21/10
Argentina’s relentless winning form combined with Benin’s surprising consistency in front of goal creates a clear path for this combined market. Lionel Scaloni’s side have secured 16 victories across their last 17 fixtures, underlining their status as overwhelming favourites. However, the appeal of pairing a home victory with the visitors finding the net lies in Benin’s attacking sequence; Gernot Rohr’s team have scored in seven consecutive matches, establishing a persistent habit of converting chances regardless of the final outcome.
When evaluating how these records interact, Argentina’s sheer attacking volume provides the platform for a high-scoring encounter where both sides can contribute. The hosts recently defeated Bolivia 4-0 and Burkina Faso 7-0, demonstrating their capacity to punish opponents severely. Benin have proven they can locate the target, highlighted by Rodolfo Aloko’s two goals against Mauritania, but they have simultaneously suffered heavy defeats against superior opposition. Their 5-1 loss to Togo and 4-0 defeat against Nigeria expose a defensive vulnerability that fits seamlessly with a comfortable Argentina victory.
The primary threat to this combined selection rests heavily on Argentina’s defensive record. Scaloni’s team have registered eight clean sheets across their last nine friendlies, a statistic that directly challenges the requirement for an away goal. Furthermore, Benin will navigate this fixture without Abdoul Rachid Moumini and Dokou Dodo, potentially limiting their midfield depth. Nevertheless, factoring in Benin’s seven-match scoring streak provides a credible statistical basis to oppose the home clean sheet, offering a viable alternative to the heavily odds-on standard match winner prices.
🎯 Tactical Indicators
- Argentina have secured 16 victories from their last 17 matches, including recent 4-0 and 7-0 wins.
- Benin enter this fixture having scored in seven consecutive matches.
- Benin have conceded heavily against stronger opposition, suffering a 5-1 defeat to Togo and a 4-0 loss to Nigeria.
Risk Factor: Argentina's eight clean sheets in nine friendlies threaten the requirement for both teams to score.
Key Tactical Mismatch
Scored 11 unanswered goals across their last two fixtures against Bolivia and Burkina Faso.
Conceded five against Togo, four against Nigeria, and three against Senegal in recent matchups.
⚔️ Pick 2: Argentina vs Benin 4-1 @ 18/1
The Correct Score market requires the match to finish with the exact predicted scoreline after 90 minutes plus stoppage time. A 4-1 selection wins only if the final whistle sounds with exactly four goals for the home side and one for the visitors. A 4-0, 3-1, or 5-1 finish results in a losing bet.
The Over 3.5 Goals market wins if the match features at least four total goals. It provides a wider margin for error, capturing multiple high-scoring outcomes such as 4-0, 3-1, or 2-2, while avoiding the fragility of needing a precise exact-score finish.
Justifying a 4-1 correct score requires reconciling Argentina’s prolific attacking output with Benin’s established capacity to find the net. The hosts arrive in devastating goalscoring form, having registered four goals against Bolivia and seven against Burkina Faso in their previous two matches. Lionel Messi’s return, supported by his record of 12 goals in 13 Inter Miami appearances since the World Cup final, adds concrete attacking productivity to a team already producing high-volume scorelines.
Supporting the visitor’s side of this exact scoreline relies directly on Benin’s recent attacking sequence. They have scored in seven consecutive matches, a run that includes a 2-1 victory over Mauritania and a goal against Burkina Faso. While their defence has struggled severely against stronger nations—highlighted by a 5-1 defeat to Togo, a 4-0 loss to Nigeria, and a 3-1 defeat to Egypt—their ability to register a goal during these varied fixtures gives credibility to them breaching the home defence exactly once before succumbing to a heavier overall defeat.
The primary vulnerability of this exact-score selection lies in its extremely narrow mathematical margins. A single extra goal from a dominant Argentine attack or a routine home clean sheet immediately defeats the market. Argentina’s record of eight clean sheets across their last nine friendlies poses a substantial threat to the away goal requirement. However, combining the hosts’ established four-goal baseline from recent matches with Benin’s persistent scoring trend makes a 4-1 outcome a coherent reflection of the supplied match evidence.
Risk Factor: Exact-score bets are vulnerable to any deviation in total goals or clean sheets.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must happen for the Argentina to win and both teams to score market to win?
Argentina must win and Benin must score at least once in normal time plus stoppage.
How does the Over 4.5 Goals market settle?
It wins if the match has at least five total goals regardless of which team scores.
What is the exact settlement rule for a Correct Score bet?
The match must finish with the exact predicted score after normal time plus stoppage.
What evidence points to Argentina's high scoring volume?
Argentina scored 11 unanswered goals in their last two fixtures against Bolivia and Burkina Faso.
Why is Benin considered capable of scoring an away goal?
Benin have scored in seven consecutive matches, showing consistent attacking threat.
What is the main risk to Both Teams to Score?
Argentina's strong defensive record with eight clean sheets in nine friendlies makes an away goal uncertain.
