Summer of Soccer best bets: How to bet Copa semifinal between Canada and Argentina

Spain vs. France, 3 p.m. ET. Many, including us here at Yardbarker, believed these two would make it all the way to the Euro final, since Spain's youth and France's depth make them two of the strongest teams on the continent. But things didn't quite work out the way we, and these nations, thought they would, and so we're getting this headlining match a round early instead.

Spain is the clear favorite; it's been the best team in the tournament by far and probably the best team of any tournament this summer. (Sorry, Colombia and Uruguay fans. We promise it was a close call.) But France, despite showing very little attacking prowess, has the defense and the pedigree to make this game challenging. It's conceded just one goal in five games and has never looked ill at ease in possession.

Argentina vs. Canada, 8 p.m ET. South vs. North. Legacy vs. potential. 2022 World Cup champion vs. the one of the very first teams eliminated from the tournament. Geographically, stylistically and narratively, Argentina and Canada simply couldn't be any more different ... and that makes this match a fascinating prospect.

These two have only met twice in their respective histories, and one of those meetings was in the group stage of this very tournament (Argentina won 2-0, but we probably don't need to tell you that.) The odds are firmly in favor of the albiceleste because of that victory. But don't sleep on Canada: it has big-name stars like Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies, MLS stalwarts like Nashville SC's Jacob Shaffelburg and plenty of drive powering its ascent. It's the last remaining North American team at the Copa, and if it beats Argentina, Canada will be able to do the funniest thing ever: contest for the South American championship despite its southernmost point falling on the same latitude as Rhode Island.

Where are the best bets in all this? We think they're here:

Goals on the right. France conceded 10 goals in the run-up to these Euros: a surprisingly high number for potential champions, but that's neither here nor there. What's important is this: seven of those 10 goals came down France's right flank and were allowed in by miscues from its right-sided defenders.

Spain's isn't traditionally weak when defending on its right side, but that's because it has Real Madrid star Dani Carvajal holding down the fort there. It won't have him in the semifinal: he's set to miss the game due to yellow card accumulation and will likely be replaced by Nacho instead. Nacho is good, but he's no Carvajal, and France will no doubt laser in on that weakness.

If both teams are defensively weak on their right sides, that means we should look toward their left-sided attackers as potential goalscorers. For Spain, that's Nico Williams; he's available to score or assist at +200. For France, that's our old friend Kylian Mbappe, and he's available to score or assist at +125.

Tight winning margins. We think Spain will beat France and clinch a place in the final, but we certainly don't think France will make it easy. The French have maintained close margins with every team that's beat them in recent years and we don't think Tuesday's game will be any different. We're backing a Spain win by a margin of one goal at +333.

Goalkeeping heroics. We know Argentina goalie Emi Martinez is a hero in big moments: we saw him win the 2022 World Cup for the albiceleste, after all, and his overall penalty save percentage is still up at a frankly unbelievable 50%. But don't sleep on Canadian goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau. The Portland Timbers player has been on point for Canada in the Copa and even managed six saves against Argentina in the group stages. We're backing him to equal that in this game at +240.