Argentina v New Zealand World Cup 2023 semi-final predictions & betting tips + grab a £40 free bet from Paddy Power

Where to watch Argentina v New Zealand

You can watch Argentina v New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup at 8pm on ITV1

Match prediction & best bet

New Zealand -18
3pts Evs general

Bet on Argentina v New Zealand here and get £40 in Rugby World Cup free bets from Paddy Power

New Zealand boast the firepower to run up another big score against Argentina and their minds should be fully focused with a place in the final on offer.

Argentina v New Zealand betting odds

Argentina  10-1
New Zealand 1-16
Draw 40-1

Argentina v New Zealand: head-to-head stats

Recent meetings Since the last World Cup in 2019 the teams have met seven times. Argentina have won twice - their only wins against the All Blacks in 36 meetings - while New Zealand have won the other five by more than 20 points each time

Last match This year's one meeting ended in a 41-12 victory for the All Blacks in Mendoza in July

Argentina v New Zealand matchday preview

New Zealand have had to do it the hard way to reach their ninth semi-final in ten World Cups but they are overwhelming favourites to overcome Argentina at the Stade de France and they look ready to deliver a big win.

The All Blacks had a troubled start to the tournament as they lost their final warm-up match heavily to South Africa, then were beaten by hosts France in their first pool game.

But in time-honoured fashion they have bounced back from those setbacks and finished the pool stage as the highest-scoring team following landslide wins over Namibia, Italy and Uruguay in which they piled up 240 points and ran in 36 tries.

And they topped that off with a 28-24 quarter-final victory over Ireland, tournament favourites and the side ranked number one in the world, and put in perhaps their best performance of the year.

The danger now could be complacency as a fixture against Argentina may not focus the mind as much as a clash with Ireland.

But this is where New Zealand's shaky start could work in their favour as the alarm bells have already rung before and the All Blacks are well warned.

They certainly know that Argentina are no pushovers having suffered their first defeats to them in their last three years. 

Since the 2019 World Cup the teams have met seven times and the Pumas have won two of those games including one in New Zealand. However, the other five have ended in defeats by margins comfortably above Friday's handicap line of 18 and the All Blacks have shown that when they are on top of their game there is a sizeable gulf between the teams.

The All Blacks' five wins in that run have come by margins of 23, 29, 38, 39 and 50 points, and the most recent was a 41-12 victory in Argentina last summer.

The other side of the handicap coin is that Argentina need to score enough points to stay close and they have not sparkled in attack at this tournament.

They posted just ten points against 14-man England in their opening match, and their one try came in the final minute, before overcoming Samoa 19-10 and then posting easy wins against tier-two Chile and Japan.

Their two tries against Wales in the quarter-final came in the last 12 minutes, the second of them from an interception, and if Argentina find themselves too far behind they may struggle to make an impact.

Those five defeats to New Zealand since the last World Cup included two losses to nil and a 53-3 mauling last September. The All Blacks' defensive display against Ireland was phenomenal as they made 226 tackles - captain Sam Cane made 22 - and when you put together that tireless defence and the magic in attack, a comfortable win looks to be on the cards.

Argentina form

Los Pumas have beaten England and Australia in the last year but were then beaten by England in the pool stage and were four-point underdogs against Wales in the quarter-final, when they came back from 10-0 down to win 29-17.

New Zealand form

After losing back-to-back games to South Africa in their final warm-up and to France in their World Cup opener, the All Blacks cruised through their pool as the top-scoring side and then dispatched tournament favourites Ireland in their quarter-final

Argentina v New Zealand teams 

Argentina: Juan Cruz Mallia; Emiliano Boffelli, Lucio Cinti, Santiago Chocobares, Mateo Carreras; Santiago Carreras, Gonzalo Bertranou;  Thomas Gallo, Julián Montoya, Francisco Gómez Kodela, Guido Petti, Tomas Lavanini, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Marcos Kremer, Facundo Isa
Replacements: Agustin Creevy, Joel Sclavi, Eduardo Bello, Matias Alemanno, Rodrigo Bruni, Lautaro Bazan Velez, Nicolas Sanchez, Matias Moroni 

New Zealand: Beauden Barrett; Will Jordan, Rieko Ioane, Jordie Barrett, Mark Telea; Richie Mo'unga, Aaron Smith; Ethan De Groot, Codie Taylor, Tyrel Lomax, Sam Whitelock, Scott Barrett, Shannon Frizell, Sam Cane, Ardie Savea.
Replacements: Samisoni Taukei’aho, Tamaiti Williams, Fletcher Newell, Brodie Retallick, Dalton Papali’i, Finlay Christie, Damian McKenzie, Anton Lienert-Brown 

Argentina v New Zealand team news 

Argentina: The Pumas make just one change to their side from the quarter-final with Gonzalo Bertranou replacing Tomas Cubelli at scrum-half.

New Zealand: Winger Mark Telea returns after missing the quarter-final while Sam Whitelock starts in the second row and Brodie Retallick drops to the bench.

Make the most of your £40 Rugby World Cup free bet: all of our Argentina v New Zealand Tips

With Paddy Power giving away £40 in Rugby World Cup 2023 free bets, you might feel spoilt for choice. Here are some betting tips for the Argentina v New Zealand match that you may want to consider:

New Zealand -18 @ Evens with Paddy Power
Aaron Smith to score a try @ 3-1 with Paddy Power
Under 14.5 Argentina points @ 4-5 with Paddy Power

*Note that these odds are subject to change

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