British & Irish Lions v Argentina betting tips & odds | June 20, 2025

B&I Lions v Argentina best bets

British & Irish Lions v Argentina match preview

The British & Irish Lions get their 2025 tour of Australia underway before they have even left the Isles, hosting Argentina in Dublin for their opening fixture of the series on Friday night.

As the first of 10 matches for the Lions, it presents a fascinating betting opportunity. Coach Andy Farrell has picked a raft of Irish players for his 38-man squad but opted to include just three in his run-on team. Instead, there are nine Englishmen, including new captain Maro Itoje.

Argentina, meanwhile, have a squad full of players who ply their trade in the Premiership and will be no strangers to the Irish conditions. The Pumas are on the upswing, landing victories over France, Australia and South Africa in the last year and running Ireland close at this very ground as well.

Given neither side has been in action for over six months, big questions hang over who will hit the ground running better. Rugby bookmakers give the Lions a heavy edge in outright betting — -1250 to +600 — but as last year proved, Argentina are no strangers to defying steep odds.

British & Irish Lions team list

• 15 Marcus Smith (ENG)
• 14 Tommy Freeman (ENG)
• 13 Sione Tuipulotu (SCO)
• 12 Bundee Aki (IRL)
• 11 Duhan van der Merwe (SCO)
• 10 Fin Smith (ENG)
• 9 Alex Mitchell (ENG)
• 8 Ben Earl (ENG)
• 7 Jac Morgan (WAL)
• 6 Tom Curry (ENG)
• 5 Tadhg Beirne (IRL)
• 4 Maro Itoje (ENG, capt)
• 3 Finlay Bealham (IRL)
• 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie (ENG)
• 1 Ellis Genge (ENG)

Bench: Ronan Kelleher (IRL), Pierre Schoeman (SCO), Tadhg Furlong (IRL), Scott Cummings (SCO), Henry Pollock (ENG), Tomos Williams (WAL), Elliot Daly (ENG), Mack Hansen (IRL).

Argentina team list

• 15 Santiago Carreras
• 14 Rodrigo Isgro
• 13 Lucio Cinti
• 12 Justo Piccardo
• 11 Ignacio Mendy
• 10 Tomas Albornoz
• 9 Gonzalo Garcia
• 8 Joaquin Oviedo
• 7 Juan Martin Gonzalez
• 6 Pablo Matera
• 5 Pedro Rubiolo
• 4 Franco Molina
• 3 Joel Sclavi
• 2 Julian Montoya (capt)
• 1 Mayco Vivas

Bench: Bautista Bernasconi, Boris Wenger, Franciso Coria Marchetti, Santiago Grondona, Joaquin Moro, Simon Benitez Cruz, Matias Moroni, Santiago Cordero.

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Lions v Argentina betting predictions

The home advantage of playing in Dublin is immediately mitigated by the Lions choosing to field so many English players for this match. This, plus Argentina’s strong form as a unit over the past year, will lead this clash to be much tighter than top rugby betting sites expect.

Argentina will not shy away from taking on the Lions’ forward pack physically. Given Farrell’s squad has only been together for a matter of days — and still is not at full strength — there is every chance that the visitors gain the upper hand early. With odds of Argentina winning the first half at a juicy +350 with Stake.com, it’s well worth a look.

Bottom line, the Lions should claw their way back into the match and begin their campaign with a win. But it will not be pretty. Backing Argentina to stay well within the +17.5 spread is a smart bet at 888starz, as is picking the home side to win by 12 points or less for a
+220 return.

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