With the world of football ushering in the latest of international breaks, players wave goodbye to their respective clubs to team back up with their international sides for two weeks of international friendly, Euro qualifiers, or World Cup qualifiers.
With Europe getting ready for their continental tournament being held in France next year, South America will be gearing up for the first round of World Cup qualifiers, which will see Argentina host Ecuador.
La Albiceleste, who finished as runners-up in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, will look to kick start their campaign with a bang by brushing aside Thursday’s opponents.
Gerardo Martino’s crew will head into the Estadio Antonio Vespucio Liberti tie without influential captain Lionel Messi, who remains on the sidelines after picking up an injury just over a week ago.
La Pulga, with his 49 international goals in 105 appearances, will sit out both Thursday’s Ecuador clash and the trip to Paraguay on October 13 after damaging his knee in the 2-1 win over Las Palmas, as he looks to be out for another 6 weeks.
However, there is little to worry for La Albiceleste, who will have in-form Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero to spearhead their attack, fresh of his record breaking 5-goal haul in 20 minutes against Newcastle, on Saturday.
Argentina also have history on their side when it comes to encounters with La Tricolor. The two South American nations have locked horns 32 times, and only 4 matches have ended in victory for Ecuador.
Their last run-in was back in an international friendly back in March of this year, and Argentina came out victorious 2-1.
The two-time World Cup champions, in their last six meetings with Gustavo Quinteros’s men, have scored 9 times, with their last loss against Ecuador coming back in 2009.
Another key stat is that never have Argentina lost at home to Ecuador in the national team’s history. Could Friday be a first for La Albiceleste?
Match details, result and original broadcast info
Argentina 0 - 2 Ecuador
October 8, 2015 8:00pmEstadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti (Capital Federal, Ciudad de Buenos Aires)This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
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