Batista: Winning Copa will not be easy

Argentina coach Sergio Batista has warned his players to expect stiff competition when the Copa America kicks off on Saturday.

Argentina have been widely tipped to clinch the coveted trophy on home soil this year, though Brazil are no easy-beats and World Cup semi-finalists Uruguay could also cause an upset.

The host nation will kick off the tournament with a match against Group A rivals Bolivia in La Plata on Saturday, and Batista is already pouring cold water on talk of an easy run to the final.

“It is going to be a really tough Copa,” Bautista said.

“There are teams who have already proven themselves in the World Cup and have evolved a lot since then.”

“They are well put together – like in the case of Uruguay and Paraguay – and in the case of Peru, they have a very intelligent coach (Sergio Markarian).”

“So we have to take care. If we think that we are going to get to the final before even playing the first matches we would be making a mistake.”

Diego Maradona was in charge when Argentina last met Bolivia in a 2009 World Cup qualifier, and the latter inflicted a stinging 6-1 defeat.

In a sign that he is not taking Bolivia lightly, Batista has named Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez alongside Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi in his starting XI for the opening match.

“I decided on Carlos because he can co-ordinate well with Lionel, who moves around the field a lot,” Batista said.

“More than just being a goal-maker the idea is that we don’t have two players moving around so much – like (Angel) Di Maria and (Ezequiel) Lavezzi – in the corners.”

Tevez is a firm favourite with Argentina fans and Batista has come under pressure to start him ahead of Real Madrid’s Di Maria.

But the coach said he has not bowed to public opinion.

“I don’t guide myself by what the people want. I have to think about what is best for the team,” Batista said.

“If I say Tevez has to play then that is what is best for the team. Tevez won his place because of what we expect he will do in tomorrow’s match.”