World champions Argentina continue their quest to qualify for the 2026 World Cup when they face Chile at the Estadio Mas Monumental in Buenos Aires on Thursday (local time).
While La Albiceleste top the South American standings after six matches, La Roja currently sit in eighth place, two points off the qualifying spots.
Latest Argentina vs Chile team information
Argentina will be without legendary striker Lionel Messi as he continues to recover from the ankle injury he suffered in Argentina's Copa America final defeat to Colombia.
Defenders Nicolas Tagliafico and Leonardo Balerdi are also absent through injury, while Angel Di Maria and Franco Armani have retired from international football.
Tagliafico's absence has left Argentina's left-back defence vulnerable, with Valentin Barco - who has two caps and is on loan at Sevilla from Brighton & Hove Albion - the only natural left-back option in Scaloni's squad.
In the absence of Messi and Di Maria, Scaloni could choose one of the likes of Nicolas Gonzalez, Alejandro Garnacho or Paulo Dybala to play alongside Julian Alvarez and Copa America Golden Boot winner Lautaro Martinez up front.
On the Chilean side, 41-year-old goalkeeper Claudio Bravo has retired from international football, while Alexis Sanchez and Diego Valdes are both absent due to injury.
The likes of Arturo Vidal, Gary Medel and Francisco Sierralta have all been left out of Gareca's squad, while uncapped Swansea City goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux, who was born in London, will compete with Gabriel Arias and Brayan Cortes for a place.
Erick Pulgar could join Marcelino Nunez and Rodrigo Echeverria in central midfield, while Eduardo Vargas and Ben Brereton Diaz are expected to combine up front.
Latest expected lineup Argentina vs Chile
Argentina:
E. Martinez; Molina, Romero, Li. Martinez, Barco; De Paul, Fernandez, Mac Allister; Gonzalez, La. Martinez, Alvarez
Chile:
Arias; Isla, Lichnovsky, Maripan, Mena; Nunez, Pulgar, Echeverria; Osorio, Vargas, Brereton Diaz
Latest football commentary Argentina vs Chile
Argentina will play in front of their home fans for the first time since successfully defending their Copa America title in July, with a 1-0 extra-time win over Colombia to claim South America's most prestigious title for a record 16th time.
Coach Lionel Scaloni, who has a 71.4% win rate as La Albiceleste manager, has successfully guided his country to glory in three consecutive major tournaments and they are now on course to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after a strong start to CONMEBOL qualifying.
In fact, Argentina are top of the South American standings and two points ahead of Uruguay in second place after winning five of their first six qualifying matches, taking maximum points against Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru and most recently Brazil, with a 1-0 away win last November.
Argentina suffered their only defeat in qualifying just five days ago when they were beaten 2-0 by Uruguay - one of only two defeats in 62 matches in all competitions since July 2019.
Ranked number one in the world by FIFA, Argentina can consolidate their lead with a win over Chile on Thursday, a team they beat 1-0 in the Copa America group stage last summer.
Chile are trying to qualify for their first World Cup since 2014, but they have had a less than ideal start to CONMEBOL qualifying, with three losses, two draws and just one win in their first six matches.
La Roja's only win was a 2-0 win over Peru in the third round and since then they have picked up just one point from their last three qualifying games, most recently a 1-0 away defeat to Ecuador last November.
Eduardo Berizzo resigned shortly after that defeat and was replaced by Argentine Ricardo Gareca, who won two, drew two and lost two of his first six games as coach.
Chile, ranked third in the world by FIFA in 2016 but now down to 43rd in the current rankings, were eliminated in the group stage of the Copa America for the first time in two decades after picking up just one point from three games this summer.
Gareca and his team are determined to turn things around and turn their fortunes around, although success on Thursday could be a challenge as they have not won in 13 meetings with Argentina in all competitions since a narrow 1-0 win in World Cup qualifying in October 2008. Despite the absence of Messi, Argentina are still considered favourites to win against Chile, who are also missing several key players. The defending world champions have a talented squad and should not have too many problems winning comfortably on home soil.
Argentina vs Chile score prediction
Based on the above football comments, we and the world's leading football sites have given the following results for the Argentina vs Chile match:
- Sportsmole: Argentina 2-0 Chile
- WhoScore: Argentina 1-0 Chile
- Our prediction: Argentina 1-0 Chile
When and where to watch Argentina vs Chile live?
To watch the Argentina vs Chile match live in the World Cup qualifiers at 7:00 a.m. on September 6, viewers can watch on TV360 here, Mytv system here or on online sports channels. Wishing viewers happy football watching moments.
Source: https://baodaknong.vn/nhan-dinh-du-doan-argentina-vs-chile-chu-nha-thang-nhoc-228403.html
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