OMNISPORT

Gonzalo Higuain acknowledges the Copa America Centenario will be a "difficult" tournament but the Argentina striker is optimistic over their chances of ending their trophy drought. 

Argentina have not won a major trophy since lifting the 1993 Copa America after Gabriel Batistuta struck twice in a 2-1 win over Mexico.

That winless run appeared poised to come to an end at last year's Copa, only for Argentina to suffer an agonising penalty shoot-out defeat to hosts Chile in the final, just 12 months after they went down to Germany in the 2014 World Cup final in Brazil.

The loss to Chile made if five defeats in their last six major-tournament finals for Argentina, but Higuain is hoping they can finally secure silverware again in the United States.

"The Copa America is going to be very difficult," the Napoli striker, who scored a Serie A-record 36 goals this season, told reporters on Wednesday. 

"But we are going to go out there and try our best to win it, and I will do my best to try and achieve that objective."

Argentina kick off the tournament with a 2015-final rematch against Chile on June 6, before facing Panama on June 10 and then Bolivia four days later. 

Erik Lamela, coming off a third-placed finish with Tottenham in the Premier League this season, is similarly upbeat over Argentina's prospects.

He said: "I think the stakes are high because in our last two tournaments we have made two finals, so we've done something right.

"This is a different Copa to the one in Chile but with the same objective Argentina always have, and that is to win the title. 

"The people want a title and we do too."