Argentina vs Uruguay live on October 10, 2021: Will La Celeste end winless run vs the Copa America champions?

October 10, 2021 By Ali M.

Topics: TV Schedules, Argentina, Uruguay, FIFA World Cup Qualifying

These two South American powerhouses will lock horns in Sunday's round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Who will win this showdown? Here's a preview of this clash.

Preview

The CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers are set to resume this weekend, with Argentina gearing up for a crucial clash with Uruguay in Sunday's standout fixture. These two South American powerhouses will lock horns at the famous El Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires as Messi aims to lead his nation to victory in this highly-anticipated 7:30 p.m. ET clash.

While the Copa America champions head into this clash on the back of a goalless draw with Paraguay, a disappointing result for La Albiceleste, the home side have enjoyed their campaign for the most part so far. Only one other nation has fared better than the Argentines in the World Cup qualifiers and they are Brazil, who boast a perfect record, showing that things are still going well for Lionel Scaloni's camp.

The two-time World Cup champions have played nine qualifiers, with one of their fixtures – a showdown with Brazil – being suspended due to a conflict between the continental giants and Brazilian federal police over COVID-19 regulations. Of those nine games, Messi and Co. have lost none, emerging triumphant on five occasions while drawing four.

Those four stalemates have been costly, however, The gap between the two-time World Cup champions and first-placed Brazil has increased all the way to eight points, with La Albiceleste standing little to no chance of overturning that deficit to finish top of the CONMEBOL qualifiers. Then there is the issue of Argentina's closest rivals, with Ecuador and Uruguay hovering dangerously close to the South American heavyweights.

Victory over Paraguay would have seen Argentina move five points clear of the third and fourth-placed nations but since they were unable to triumph, both Ecuador and Uruguay sit within three points of that runners-up spot. It should be noted that the South American champions have a game in-hand under their belt due to the suspension of their clash with Brazil.

Uruguay, on the other hand, boast their own set of issues. While they are fourth in the standings, La Celeste have won only two of their last four games and face similar inconsistency problems. Four wins, four draws, and two defeats out of 10 outings is their form, with Oscar Tabarez's men racking up 16 points out of a possible 30.

Colombia, who they drew nil-nil with in their most recent game, are in fifth and are only two points behind. Sixth-placed Paraguay, the highest-ranked nation outside of the five qualification spots, are only four points behind and could thus move within a single point of Suarez and Co. depending on how Sunday's round of fixtures end. Will Uruguay suffer a slip-up or will they end their long wait for a win over Argentina? Tune in to find out.

Team news

Argentina: Sergio Aguero and Paulo Dybala are out and are thus unavailable for Scaloni. Lautaro Martinez, on the other hand, made the squad but picked up a knock prior to the goalless draw with Paraguay and was forced to sit out that tie. He remains a doubt for this fixture as well. This means Joaquin Correa is all but destined to start in attack alongside captain Lionel Messi. A change in personnel in the fullback positions could occur.

Uruguay: Diego Godin looks set to make his 150th international appearance for his country, which will be a record. As usual, his partner at the back should be Jose Gimenez. Cavani, who was benched for the Colombia game, could return to the lineup alongside Luis Suarez.

Key stats

Argentina boast the superior head-to-head record, winning 90 of their 195 encounters.
Uruguay, on the other hand, have triumphed 56 times over La Albiceleste.
The last time La Celeste beat the current champions of South America was back in October 2013.
The last time these two sides met was in the group stage of the 2021 Copa America campaign, with Lionel Messi and Co. triumphing 1-0 over Tabarez's side.