South American giants Argentina and Chile will lock horns in Matchday 15 of the CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers on Friday. The two sides will face each other at the Estadio Zorros del Desierto de Calama in Chile, where the hosts will be desperately looking for a win as they push to re-enter the top four after a poor 2-0 defeat to Ecuador back in November, with Arturo Vidal earning himself a needless red card.
Argentina are cruising with a 27-game undefeated run across all competitions, even lifting the Copa America, Lionel Messi’s first international trophy, and Argentina’s first in 28 years. However, the La Albiceleste will be without a few players, including Messi himself as well as Tottenham centre-back Christian Romero and Inter Milan winger Joaquin Correa for the high-profile fixture.
Messi’s club Paris Saint-Germain have reached an agreement with the Argentinian Football Association to let him stay at Paris, having only recently recovered after testing positive for Covid-19. Correa and Romero, on the other hand, are recovering from hamstring injuries.
With some key players missing for Argentina, the Chileans will look to take advantage as they aim to finish in the top four places. A hard-fought battle will be expected between the two sides.
Key players
Lautaro Martinez will be expected to find the back of the net in the absence of Messi. The forward has had a very good season thus far, scoring 11 times and also registering two assists in the Serie A in 15 starts. He took over as Inter’s main striker after Lukaku’s move to Chelsea, and together with new signing Edin Dzeko, he has been doing very well.
A part of Argentina’s Copa America winning side, Martinez has also performed for his country in the Qualifiers, racking up five goals and three assists in the 12 games that he has played. Argentina will definitely be looking for him to provide some clinical finishing up front.
The versatile veteran Angel Di Maria will also be key to Argentina’s success in this match. PSG winger has had an excellent season so far, scoring thrice and setting up thrice in the Ligue 1 in addition to an assist in the UEFA Champions League as well.
However, his influence on the game is much beyond mere statistics, as he often drops to midfield positions and dictates the pace of the game. While Di Maria will be expected to form an attacking trident with expected debutant Julian Alvarez, and Martinez, his performance could determine the result of the game.
Alexis Sanchez might not be having the best of seasons, but nevertheless, historically, he has been known to turn it up when his country needs him the most. Scoring twice and also registering two assists in the Serie A in just five starts, the attacker has shown glimpses of brilliance this season.
With Chile in a spot of bother at sixth place, Sanchez could be the difference-maker as he so often has for his national side.
A true stalwart of the game, Barcelona and Manchester City veteran Claudio Bravo will have a massive influence on the outcome of the game.
A crucial part of Real Betis’ top three performance so far this season, Bravo, in addition to his skills as a shot-stopper, is vastly experienced, and his presence could be a calming influence around the team.
Prediction
Two of the biggest footballing nations in South America, the encounter between Chile and Argentina is usually very high profile. The two sides met in the 2020 Copa America in the group stage, and played out a 1-1 draw after veteran Eduardo Vargas’ strike cancelled out Messi’s score.
Argentina are unbeaten in the last 27 games across all competitions, mostly due to their solid defensive structure. However, they are without their first-choice centre-back Romero after he suffered a hamstring injury. Nevertheless, Argentina are stacked in midfield and attack, full of excellent players like Rodrigo de Paul, Lisandro Marinez, and Alejandro ‘Papu’ Gomez.
Their extraordinary depth is a luxury that has come available to them at the right time, with a few of their key players missing. Their goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has also been at the top of his game when he has played for the national side.
However, Chile also have some quality players within their ranks, including Sanchez, Eduardo Vargas, and Charles Aranguiz. Qualification on their mind, the Chileans are expected to produce some good football against Argentina.
A hard game to predict, it does look like Argentina have a slight upper hand due to the depth of their squad, but the Chileans could shock them with just four games remaining to seal World Cup Qualification.
