LIVE : Argentina vs. Bolivia - prediction, team news, lineups
After the dramatic suspension of their clash with Brazil last time out, Argentina will look to get back on track on Thursday, when they play host to Bolivia in World Cup Qualifying.
La Albiceleste are without a defeat in the group and occupy second spot, while their visitors remain in ninth after a loss to Uruguay on Sunday.
Match preview
© Reuters
Argentina began the World Cup Qualification campaign in 2020 with a 1-0 victory over Ecuador and a 2-1 away win against Bolivia, as Lautaro Martinez and Joaquin Correa got on the scoresheet to overturn a one-goal deficit when they took on Thursday's opponents in La Paz.
Lionel Scaloni's men headed into this summer's Copa America with 12 points from their opening six qualifying games, and they continued their momentum in the continental tournament, cruising through to the quarter-finals thanks to wins over Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia, as they dished out a 4-1 thrashing to the side they meet again on Thursday.
A comfortable 3-0 quarter-final win over Ecuador saw them break into the final four, and heroics from goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez helped La Albiceleste prevail in a penalty shootout against Colombia after a 1-1 draw in their semi-final tie.
As a result, they met rivals Brazil in the final, and stood strong to defend a one-goal lead after Angel Di Maria's early opener to see out a 1-0 win and earn their 15th continental title.
Scaloni's men continued where they left off upon their return to qualifying in this round of fixtures, defeating Venezuela 3-1 away from home as Lautaro Martinez, Joaquin Correa and Angel Correa found the net before Yeferson Soteldo scored an injury-time consolation goal for the hosts.
They then travelled to take on group-leaders Brazil, but the game was brought to an abrupt end inside the first 10 minutes as health officials stormed the pitch in response to an issue regarding quarantining for several Argentinian players, with the match suspended in the aftermath.
Upon their return to home turf, La Albiceleste will look to record another victory to maintain their strong position in the group and apply further pressure on Brazil at the summit, as they welcome a Bolivian side who are struggling for form.
© Reuters
After a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Brazil in the opening game and the subsequent 2-1 defeat to Argentina, Bolivia have largely been stuck at the bottom end of the qualifying group throughout the campaign.
At the beginning of the Copa America, La Verde sat on five points in qualifying thanks to impressive draws with Paraguay and Chile and a 3-1 win over Venezuela.
They were unable to carry that upturn in form into the tournament though, as they crashed out in the group stage without earning a point from their four games.
In their first game since the departure, La Verde earned an impressive point as Fernando Saucedo hit a late equaliser to see them draw 1-1 at home to Colombia.
That was followed by a trip to Uruguay last time out, with a Giorgian de Arrascaeta brace and goals from Federico Valverde and Agustin Alvarez condemning them to a 4-2 defeat, despite Marcelo Moreno netting two goals for Farias's men.
With only the top four sides earning automatic passage to the World Cup and the fifth-placed nation progressing to a playoff, Bolivia will know that they need to quickly bounce back in order to keep their qualification hopes alive, but they face a particularly tough task with a trip to the Copa America champions.
- W
- D
- W
- D
- D
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- L
- D
- W
- D
- D
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- D
- L
Team News
© Reuters
After the issues around quarantining, Argentina have released Aston Villa duo Emiliano Martinez and Emiliano Buendia from the squad to return to England, although Tottenham Hotspur pair Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero appear to have stayed in the camp and should be available for Thursday's game.
Lo Celso reformed a midfield trio with Paris Saint-Germain's Leandro Paredes and Atletico Madrid's Rodrigo De Paul after they all shone at the Copa America, and Scaloni should leave the centre untouched, while Romero came in to partner experienced centre-back Nicolas Otamendi last time out.
Talismanic captain Lionel Messi will again feature prominently in the attacking line, with Angel Di Maria and Lautaro Martinez expected to complete the front three, although the likes of Angel Correa and Juventus star Paulo Dybala will also be pushing to break into the side.
The Bolivian line will be led by experienced forward Marcelo Moreno, who netted a brace last time out to take his tally to 27 goals from 86 appearances for his nation.
He will be supported by Juan Carlos Arce, who also offers vital quality going forward, having made 80 appearances on the international stage.
They will be boosted by the return of Carmelo Algaranaz into the squad, after he served a suspension last time out for a red card picked up in the draw with Colombia, although he was only used as a substitute in that game and may not break straight into the starting XI.
Argentina possible starting lineup:
Rulli; Montiel, Romero, Otamendi, Acuna; De Paul, Paredes, Lo Celso; Di Maria, Martinez, Messi
Bolivia possible starting lineup:
Lampe; Bejarano, Haquin, Jusino, Fernandez; Saavedra, Villarroel; Chura, Arce, Ramallo; Moreno