Preview
The CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers take center stage in this international break, with Uruguay and Argentina, the two most successful nations in Copa America history, set to renew their rivalry in the race to make it ti Qatar 2022. Estadio Campeón del Siglo will be the venue for this 6 p.m. ET affair as La Celeste seek revenge over La Albiceleste in an attempt to climb up the table.
Despite suffering slip-ups every now and then, Argentina hold the no.2 spot in South America's World Cup qualifying tournament with a strong grip. An eight-point advantage over third-placed Ecuador means a collapse of the highest magnitude would be required from the reigning Copa America champions in order to miss out on automatic qualification for Qatar 2022.
During last month's international break, Lionel Scaloni's side racked up seven points out of a possible nine, beating Peru and – surprise, surprise – Uruguay in October via a 1-0 and 3-0 score line, respectively, while drawing nil-nil against Paraguay. Messi and Co. will be keen on making it three wins in a row in their attempt to catch table-toppers Brazil, who they will face next, with victory on Friday being key to that.
La Albiceleste will fancy their odds of pulling this off. Not only are they undefeated in the qualifiers so far, but the two-time World Cup champions are also on an amazing 25-game unbeaten run, a streak that runs all the way back to July 2019. Will Uruguay bring that record to an end? Their recent head-to-head record says otherwise but La Celeste will be keen on getting revenge over their bitter continental rivals.
Not only did they lose to Argentina 3-0 when they faced off at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, but Oscar Tabarez's side were also undone by Messi and Co. when they locked horns in the recent Copa America tournament. While they were dumped out of the summer tournament by Colombia, that 1-0 loss at the hands of the eventual champions meant Suarez and Co. finished second in their group, thus earning them a tough clash with Los Cafeteros in the quarterfinals.
The CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers haven't gone well for Uruguay, with this South American powerhouse sitting in fifth – the playoff spot. Fourth-placed Colombia are level on points while third-placed Ecuador are only one ahead, meaning all hope is not lost for La Celeste. However, if they wish to turn things around, then an upturn in form is necessary as they have won only a third of their matches so far, picking up four victories from 12 outings (D4, L4).
Team news
Uruguay: Man Utd ace Edinson Cavani is out with injury, meaning Luis Suarez will lead the line once again. Unfortunately, Sebastian Coates, Matias Vina, Federico Valverde, Nicolas de la Cruz, and Darwin Nunez are also out. Torreira, who's currently on loan at Fiorentina, will be keen on a starting XI berth.
Argentina: While Lionel Messi has been named in the squad, the Argentine icon might not start this game due to his recent knee and hamstring issues. This means a rare start for Paulo Dybala in the front three could be possible. De Paul and Lautaro Martinez, who have been excellent for their nation this year, are all but guaranteed to start as they go in search of a third straight win – both overall and against Uruguay.
Key stats
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As mentioned above, Argentina haven't lost a game in over two years, going on an impressive 25-match unbeaten run since being defeated 2-0 by Brazil in the 2019 Copa America semifinals.
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With 17 goals conceded and only 14 goals scored, Uruguay boast the worst defense and joint-worst attack from the current top six teams in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers.
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La Celeste haven't beaten Argentina since October 2013, drawing two while losing four in the six encounters that followed that 3-2 triumph.
Broadcast listings
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
