Lionel Messi will hope to fire on all cylinders when Argentina entertain Bolivia in Buenos Aires on Friday.
Argentina have everything in their favour to pick up the three points when they entertain Bolivia in Round 3 of the 2014 South American World Cup qualifiers at the Monumental stadium of Buenos Aires on Friday. Led by Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi, los Albicelestes will expect nothing less than a comprehensive victory against the winless Bolivians.
Since Alejandro Sabella was hired as Argentina coach in August, Argentina have accumulated mixed results. After thrashing Chile 4-1 in their World Cup qualifying opener, they lost 1-0 against Venezuela the week after. It was Argentina's first ever defeat to the Venezuelans, and it mounted heavy pressure on Sabella and his squad.
Argentina know that anything less than the three points against Bolivia would be unacceptable, especially after having been held to an unexpected draw by Bolivia in the inaugurating match of the 2011 Copa America, which they hosted. On that occasion they were under the orders of then-coach Sergio Batista.
For the clash with Bolivia, apart from injured Real Madrid attacker Angel Di Maria, Sabella will be able to count with a full-strength squad. He will utilise a 4-3-3 tactical scheme, with Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain his desired three-man strike-force.
Higuain, who converted a superb hat-trick against Chile, will once again be called upon for Argentina's goals. The striker, who has been equally lethal for his club Real Madrid, admitted that "there are no easy matches" in the World Cup qualifiers, and he recalled that "the last World Cup qualifiers were very complicated," as Argentina struggled before reaching South Africa 2010.
In reference to the upcoming clash with Bolivia, Higuain's Argentina team-mate Jose Sosa said: "They will be very difficult rivals, very difficult, and it will be very important to claim the victory."
Like Argentina, Bolivia have seen better days, and they will be highly pressured to pick up at least a point on their visit to Buenos Aires, after losing their first two World Cup qualifiers. Despite Bolivia's deep struggles, their coach Gustavo Quinteros believes his side could upset the Argentines. In order to achieve this he has made several changes to his squad, with Carlos Arias, Edivaldo Rojas and Edemir Rodriguez returning to the starting eleven.
Bolivia, who last qualified for the World Cup in 1994, have conceded six goals in their first two World Cup qualifiers, and will definitely pack their midfield and defense in an attempt to return home with a point. However, like they proved in the Copa America, they have lots of flair in their attack, and will be very dangerous when breaking on swift counterattacks.
Since Alejandro Sabella was hired as Argentina coach in August, Argentina have accumulated mixed results. After thrashing Chile 4-1 in their World Cup qualifying opener, they lost 1-0 against Venezuela the week after. It was Argentina's first ever defeat to the Venezuelans, and it mounted heavy pressure on Sabella and his squad.
Argentina know that anything less than the three points against Bolivia would be unacceptable, especially after having been held to an unexpected draw by Bolivia in the inaugurating match of the 2011 Copa America, which they hosted. On that occasion they were under the orders of then-coach Sergio Batista.
For the clash with Bolivia, apart from injured Real Madrid attacker Angel Di Maria, Sabella will be able to count with a full-strength squad. He will utilise a 4-3-3 tactical scheme, with Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain his desired three-man strike-force.
Higuain, who converted a superb hat-trick against Chile, will once again be called upon for Argentina's goals. The striker, who has been equally lethal for his club Real Madrid, admitted that "there are no easy matches" in the World Cup qualifiers, and he recalled that "the last World Cup qualifiers were very complicated," as Argentina struggled before reaching South Africa 2010.
In reference to the upcoming clash with Bolivia, Higuain's Argentina team-mate Jose Sosa said: "They will be very difficult rivals, very difficult, and it will be very important to claim the victory."
Like Argentina, Bolivia have seen better days, and they will be highly pressured to pick up at least a point on their visit to Buenos Aires, after losing their first two World Cup qualifiers. Despite Bolivia's deep struggles, their coach Gustavo Quinteros believes his side could upset the Argentines. In order to achieve this he has made several changes to his squad, with Carlos Arias, Edivaldo Rojas and Edemir Rodriguez returning to the starting eleven.
Bolivia, who last qualified for the World Cup in 1994, have conceded six goals in their first two World Cup qualifiers, and will definitely pack their midfield and defense in an attempt to return home with a point. However, like they proved in the Copa America, they have lots of flair in their attack, and will be very dangerous when breaking on swift counterattacks.
