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Published on Nov, 19 2024
Argentina are back in FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifying action on Tuesday with Peru their visitors in Buenos Aires. Lionel Scaloni's men lead the CONMEBOL section but went down 2-1 to Paraguay last week in a surprise defeat while the Peruvians are coming off the back of a goalless draw with rock bottom Chile. The Albiceleste have a three-point cushion at the summit while Jorge Fossati's visitors are five points adrift of even a playoff spot.
Lautaro Martinez gave Argentina the lead against the Paraguayans only to be undone 2-1 by an Albirroja fightback which makes it three losses in qualifying for Scaloni and his players. The final game of 2024 is winnable for the Argentines who need to make sure of the points considering that March next year will be pitting them against both Uruguay and Brazil. With 37 wins and just seven losses against Peru, the Albiceleste are strong favorites here.
Peru managed a famous 1-0 win over Uruguay last month but a 4-0 loss to Brazil keeps them adrift of contention for even the playoff berth. The Blanquirroja will expect a reaction from Argentina after last week and off the back of their failure to qualify for the FIFA 2022 World Cup, the memories of 2018 feel more and more distant. The Peruvians made the 1970 and 1978 quarterfinals but need to pull off a stunning win here if they are to stand a chance of even being in the shakeup for 2026.
Here are our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
Argentina have seven wins, one draw and three losses from eleven games so far to sit top on 22 points with Uruguay three points behind and Brazil five points off. With 20 goals from 11 games and six of those from Messi himself, the world champions remain on course to qualify and seek a title defense. Peru are ninth in the rankings after a 0-0 draw with Chile and have just one win to their name with four draws and six losses from 11 which places them five points behind Venezuela who currently occupy the playoff spot. With just three goals from 11 outings, it is a tough ask for them to outscore the Argentines on the road.
Argentina: Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez are out with Leonardo Balerdi expected to fill in alongside Nicolas Otamendi. Alejandro Garnacho is expected to be a substitute with Messi in line for his 191st outing with Julian Alvarez also likely to start.
Possible Argentina XI: E Martinez; Molina, Balerdi, Otamendi, Tagliafico; De Paul, Fernandez; Messi, Mac Allister, Alvarez; Martinez.
Peru: Paolo Guerrero could make his 123rd appearance for his country while Gianluca Lapadula and Luis Advincula are expected to start. Sergio Pena should also be fit enough to go again despite coming off against Chile with a knock.
Possible Peru XI: Caceda; Corzo, Araujo, Callens; Polo, Sonne, Cartagena, Pena, Advincula; Guerrero, Valera.
Peru will try to make this one as hard as they can but there is no real hope that they can do the required damage to emerge victorious and breathe new life into their World Cup hopes. Pick: Argentina 2, Peru 0.
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