Argentina vs. Chile: Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

Argentina, the reigning world champions, will meet Chile in Buenos Aires' Estadio Mas Monumental on Thursday (local time) in their bid to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

La Roja is now in ninth position, two points outside the qualifying slots, while La Albiceleste leads the South American standings after six matches.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

The Argentine national team had last played in front of their home supporters in July when they retained the Copa America championship with a 1-0 extra-time victory against Colombia. This was the 16th time Argentina had won the trophy.

Lionel Scaloni has guided La Albiceleste to triumph at three consecutive international championships. With a solid start in CONMEBOL qualification, they are on pace to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Scaloni has a 71.4% victory percentage in command of La Albiceleste.

In fact, after winning all six of their qualifying matches—against Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, and most recently Brazil—via a 1-0 away victory in November of last year, Argentina is atop the South American standings, two points ahead of Uruguay in second place.

Five days before, Argentina's qualification campaign ended with a 2-0 loss to Uruguay. Since July 2019, the South Americans have only lost twice in 62 matches across all competitions.

With a win over Chile on Thursday, Argentina, now ranked first in the world by FIFA, will have a better chance of retaining its position atop the rankings. Argentina defeated Chile 1-0 in the group stage of the Copa America this summer.

Chile has had a less-than-stellar start to CONMEBOL qualification, going winless in their first six matches, tying twice, and losing three times. They are attempting to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 2014.

After a 2-0 victory against Peru on matchday three, La Roja has lost its past three qualifiers, most recently on the road in November of last year, and has just one point to its name.

Shortly after the loss, Eduardo Berizzo resigned, and Argentine Ricardo Gareca took over as coach. Gareca has won twice, drawn, and lost twice in his six games thus far.

After falling to 43rd in the current FIFA rankings from third in 2016, Chile failed to advance beyond the Copa America group stage for the first time in 20 years, earning only one point from three matches throughout the summer.

Since a razor-thin 1-0 triumph in World Cup qualification in October 2008, Gareca and company have lost all thirteen encounters with Argentina across all competitions. Thursday's match is a challenging test of their will to make amends and reverse their fortunes.

Argentina x Chile Team News

While he recovers from the ankle injury he suffered in Argentina's Copa America final victory over Colombia, iconic striker Lionel Messi will not be available to the national team.

Additionally, Leonardo Balerdi and Nicolas Tagliafico cannot play due to injuries, while Franco Armani and Angel Di Maria have both decided to retire from international football.

Argentina is short-handed at left defender due to Tagliafico's absence; the only logical choice for Scaloni's squad is two-cap Valentin Barco, who is on loan at Sevilla from Brighton & Hove Albion.

Messi and Di Maria are out with injuries, so Scaloni has options: start Julian Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez (Copa America Golden Boot winner), or choose Nicolas Gonzalez, Alejandro Garnacho, or Paulo Dybala.

Regarding Chile, goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, who is 41 years old, has decided to retire from international football. Injuries have ruled out Alexis Sanchez and Diego Valdes.

Gareca has omitted Arturo Vidal, Gary Medel, and Francisco Sierralta from the roster, leaving only Swansea City goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux, a London native, to compete with Gabriel Arias and Brayan Cortes. Vigouroux has no international experience.

Rodrigo Echeverria and Marcelino Nunez will likely form a central midfield partnership with Erick Pulgar, while Ben Brereton Diaz and Eduardo Vargas will play together in the final third.

Our predictions

Argentina is to win and under 2.5 goals @3.15 on Sky247.ng.

Even if Messi isn't playing, Argentina is still a heavy favourite to beat Chile, missing several important players. On home turf, the reigning world champions should have no trouble cruising to a comfortable win thanks to their talented stars.

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