Argentina vs. Bolivia: Match Preview, Odds & Prediction

Argentina, the champions in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying, will host Bolivia in Buenos Aires on Tuesday evening.

Their victory on matchday nine significantly enhanced Bolivia's odds of securing their first World Cup in three decades, while the current world champions increased their lead at the summit despite their failure to secure a victory last week.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

Argentina's draw in Venezuela on Thursday night was not the anticipated outcome; however, it was sufficient to increase their lead over Uruguay and Colombia by one point, as their two closest competitors sustained unexpected losses on matchday nine.

Lionel Scaloni's team has already accomplished much of the work, accumulating 19 points at the halfway mark. However, they were significantly outmatched in Maturin against a challenging Venezuelan squad.

In the initial half, Argentina maintained a lead through Nicolas Otamendi. However, Venezuela capitalized on most of its opportunities, outshooting the Albiceleste 18 to 6, and ultimately achieved an equalizer through Salomon Rondon.

A 1-1 draw on the road in South American qualifying is rarely a negative outcome. Argentina is three points clear of Colombia at the summit despite losing to Los Cafeteros last month.

In the past 20 qualifiers, Scaloni has observed his team concede only eight goals. However, they have yet to capitalize on this defensive solidity, as they have only won two of their last five.

Nevertheless, they will be highly favored to enhance their record when encountering a Bolivian team that needs to travel better.

Like many other nations, Argentina has encountered challenges when traveling to Bolivia, including the 6-1 loss in 2009. However, in 11 qualifying matches at home, the hosts have emerged victorious in 10 instances and have drawn only once.

Nevertheless, Bolivia will be confident in their ability to achieve anything, particularly in light of the recent improvement in their results and performances under Oscar Villegas, following their first away qualifier victory in 31 years last month.

La Verde's unexpected victory over Chile last month has been followed by wins over Venezuela and Colombia at home.

The 4-0 demolition of Venezuela was noteworthy; however, the victory over Colombia was extraordinary, as they played for seventy minutes with only ten players and were competing against the team currently ranked second in qualifying.

The relocation of the team's home venue from La Paz to El Alto, situated at an elevation of over 500 feet in Bolivia's severe altitude, has a significant impact. Despite Colombia's man advantage, the team could establish a rhythm before scoring the sole goal of the match.

It indicates that Villegas has guided Bolivia to three victories in his three years of qualifying, significantly improving from the three points they earned in their first six games. As a result, La Verde is currently occupying one of the automatic qualifying spots.

Argentina x Bolivia Team News

Lionel Messi could not make a significant impact as Argentina struggled to defeat Venezuela in their most recent match, despite making his first appearance for the team since the Copa America final.

Messi is expected to resume play after demonstrating his fitness at Inter Miami. Thiago Almada was awarded a starting position for his impressive performance at Botafogo, and he may also be included in the lineup. However, there is intense competition for the offensive positions, with Lautaro Martinez in reserve.

Cristian Romero will return to the field after missing the Venezuelan draw due to a suspension resulting from an accumulation of yellow cards. At the same time, Emiliano Martinez will serve the second of his two-game exile.

Miguelito was the hero of Bolivia on Thursday, scoring in his third consecutive game for his country. Despite this, he has only played three minutes in the last 12 matches of Santos, a second-tier Brazilian team.

Hector Cuellar will be suspended following his red card against Colombia, and Ervin Vaca and Yomar Rocha have been omitted from the squad due to injuries.

Additionally, Carlos Lampe, the 37-year-old first-choice custodian, is unavailable due to an injury sustained during the team's victory over Chile last month. He has yet to appear since.

Our Predictions

Argentina will win/draw and have under 3.5 goals @ 2.07 on Sky247.ng.

Bolivia was the sole nation to receive six points during the CONMEBOL window in September. However, it is doubtful that they will replicate this feat in Argentina, as they have only achieved one point in their previous 11 visits.

A victory for Argentina is nearly certain; however, a humiliation is not. Bolivia has demonstrated they are formidable adversaries under Villegas, even if they are expected to lose this match.

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