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Argentina, the Champions of the World, are not in their prime form. For the last few years, the Albiceleste have been flying under Lionel Scaloni. They have won the Copa America twice under Lionel Scaloni and created history by winning the Qatar World Cup after a dramatic final against France.
However, Argentina are winless in their last two matches in the World Cup qualifiers. They lost against Colombia, ending a 12-match winning streak before they had a 1-1 draw against Venezuela last week. Yet the World Champions remain at the top of the table with 19 points, three ahead of Colombia.
Argentina are now all set to bounce back tonight when they welcome Bolivia to Buenos Aires. Bolivia have failed to play in the FIFA World Cup for the last three decades. But they are now in a good rhythm with three back-to-back wins in the qualifier. It will be a competitive match between the two sides in Buenos Aires.
Argentina boss Scaloni has managed 80 games with the national team from the dugout. Despite the difficulties, he is very pleased with how so far the journey has gone. Scaloni said, “What makes me most proud is having been here for so long and the way we’ve achieved it, how we’ve faced the good and the bad .”
“Back in 2018, we never thought we’d get to this situation, and today we can say that we’re proud of how we’ve carried out this process, magnified by the titles of course,” the manager stated.
Team News
Biggest star Lionel Messi played his first game with Argentina last week after the Copa America final. He had a knee injury but recovered and successfully played against Venezuela. The captain will also play tonight and lead the team against Bolivia. Thiago Almada had a chance in the starting XI against Venezuela. But he is likely to lose his place to Lautaro Martinez tonight.
Alexis Mac Allister still remains out of the team due to his injury, while Emiliano Martinez is not eligible to play for the suspension. But Christian Romero is now back after missing the game against Venezuela.
As for Bolivia, Miguelito is in superb form and scored a goal in each of his last three games with Bolivia. He will be a trump card tonight against Argentina. However, Ervin Vaca and Yomar Rocha are unavailable due to injuries, while Hector Cuellar will miss the match due to a suspension.
Possible Lineup for Argentina:
Rulli; Molina, Otamendi, Romero, Tagliafico; De Paul, Fernandez, Lo Celso; La Martinez, Alvarez, Messi
Possible Lineup for Bolivia:
Viscarra; Medina, Haquin, Suarez, Sagredo; Robson Matheus, Villamil, R Vaca; Miguelito, Algaranaz, Chura
Prediction: Argentina 2-0 Bolivia
Argentina played their last two games in an extreme condition, but they will play tonight’s game on their home ground. It is a great advantage for the Albiceleste and with the return of Lionel Messi, things should be easy for them. Although Bolivia are in a good rhythm, we do not expect them to beat Argentina in Buenos Aires.
Betfair Odds
Argentina: 1.08
Draw: 15.73
Bolivia: 39.95
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