Top visits bottom in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying on Wednesday night, as the already-qualified Argentina face Chile in Nuñoa.
A ruthless 4–1 victory over bitter rivals Brazil made sure of the world champions‘ place in North America next summer, and they’ll be looking to become just the third nation ever to win back-to-back World Cups.
There have been blips in qualifying, but Scaloni’s men have been dominant overall and are well worthy of their spot as FIFA’s number one ranked side. The Copa América holders are eight points clear at the top of the qualifying table having won ten of their 14 games.
Chile, on the contrary, looked set to miss out on their third successive World Cup. While remnants of their ’golden generation’ remain, they’re a far cry from their mid-2010s peak.
They were thumped in the reverse fixture 3–0 and have won just two matches in qualifying thus far. Securing a top-six finish is surely beyond them, and they’re currently five points adrift of Venezuela in the intercontinental playoff qualifying spot.
Here is Sports Illustrated's guide to the clash.
What Time Does Chile vs. Argentina Kick-Off?
- Location: Nuñoa, Chile
- Stadium: Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos
- Date: Thursday, June 5 / Friday June 6
- Kick-off Time: 9 p.m. ET (June 5) / 6 p.m. PT (June 5) / 2 a.m. BST (June 6)
- Referee: TBC
- VAR: TBC
Chile vs. Argentina Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
- Chile: 0 wins
- Argentina: 3 wins
- Draws: 2
- Last meeting: Argentina 3–0 Chile (Sept. 6, 2024) – World Cup qualifier
Current Form (All Competitions)
How to Watch Chile vs. Argentina on TV
Chile Team News
Two protagonists from their pomp a decade ago, Arturo Vidal and Alexis Sánchez, are still involved with the national team. Ricardo Gareca has included both in his latest squad, and Vidal, 38, is set to join, Sánchez, 36, in Chile’s starting XI.
Defender Paulo Díaz and midfielder Luciano Cabral have been forced to withdraw through injury, while Gareca opted against calling up the experienced Eduardo Vargas.
Chile Predicted Lineup vs. Argentina
Chile predicted lineup vs Argentina (4-3-3): Cortés; Loyola, Maripán, Sierralta, Suazo; Vidal, Echeverria, Pizarro; Osorio, Sanchez, Valdés.
Argentina Team News
Lionel Messi is back with the national team after a seventh-month layoff, and the all-time great currently leads the CONMEBOL qualifying scoring charts with six goals.
Messi should come straight back into Scaloni’s XI in Chile, complementing Lautaro Martínez and Julian Alvarez in attack. Supporters will also be keen to see how 17-year-old Franco Mastantuono fares this month after earning his first senior call-up.
Alexis Mac Allister misses out through injury, while Paulo Dybala and Lisandro Martinez are long-term absentees.
Argentina Predicted Lineup vs. Chile
Argentina predicted lineup vs. Chile (4-3-3): Martinez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico; De Paul, Fernández, Paredes; Messi, Lautaro, Alvarez
Chile vs. Argentina Score Prediction
Will Argentina take their foot of the gas now their place at the World Cup is secure? Unlikely.
This group of players love playing together, and Messi’s back to supply his dose of magic after Scaloni’s side produced one of their great performances without him against Brazil in March.
While Argentina have been caught cold on a couple of occasions in tough away environments throughout the qualifying process, they shouldn’t be upset by an ancient Chile outfit on Wednesday night. The hosts have had a nightmare campaign thus far, and things won’t improve anytime soon.
Prediction: Chile 0–2 Argentina
READ THE LATEST SOCCER NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MATCH REACTION
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chile vs. Argentina: Preview, Predictions and Lineups.
