CONMEBOL WC Qualifiers: Argentina vs Chile Preview, Odds, Latest News Prediction

Lionel Messi and his Argentina meet with Chile in the fifth round of CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers. The Gauchos are sitting second in the standings, right next to perfect Brazil, while Chile currently holds the sixth place two points outside the zone that leads to Qatar, or at least, sends to the playoffs. That is why Reinaldo Rueda’s boys have to come back from this trip undefeated. Meanwhile, the hosts would need to take all three points, not only to stay near the top, but to inflict a painful blow to one direct rival for the ticket to World Cup.

Preview

Argentina (-195) has 11 consecutive matches without a defeat, with the last one being in the Copa America semis against Brazil. After that, they would start a nice streak that saw them staying undefeated although playing against Chile, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Uruguay, and many more very good teams.

The latest four games were in the World Cup qualifiers, with Gauchos beating Ecuador, 1-0, Bolivia, 1-2, and Peru, 0-2, while playing 1-1 with Paraguay at home.

A moderate efficiency took place in the last three games, with all of them seeing 2 or 3 goals. Overall, that is the way Argentina plays. They aren’t a defensive-minded unit as before, as Lionel Scaloni made a few changes since becoming the head coach.

Chile (+500) is on the decline. The golden years of this generation led by Alexis Sanches are behind, while on the other side, the replacements weren’t found. We predict that once all the veterans go away, Chile will have a hard time maintaining the level of success they had over the past decade.

Over the past 10 games, the Chileans have just three wins, and apart from that three draws and four defeats, In four World Cup qualifying games, Chile defeated only Peru, 2-0, but lost to Uruguay and Venezuela, both with the same result, 2-1. Rueda’s boys played 2-2 with Colombia at home, as well.

Four of the previous five games this team played ended with a moderate efficiency, meaning 2 or 3 goals. Also, in six of the past seven games, Chile allowed at least one goal, in five events two or more. It seems that their trademark defense which was the main weapon of this team, disappeared.

Latest News

Argentina will have Messi upfront, with Di Maria and Lautaro Martinez behind him. Paulo Dybala had to back out, but Sergio Aguero is in the team, and will probably enter the game later.

Chile is expected to see striker Ben Brereton, Blackburn’s player, whose mother is born in this country. Alexis is in the attack, with his long-time partners on the pitch, Aranguiz, and Beausejour, supporting him.

Head to Head Games

Chile has three wins over Argentina in the last 10 games, and the most recent one came in the Copa America finals after penalties, back in 2016. Gauchos won six times, while the latest clash, a friendly game, ended without goals.

Prediction

It is evident that the Argentinians are in better shape at the moment. On top of that, they are the hosts of this event, which is another reason to bet on their win.

Pick: Argentina wins