CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying leaders Argentina travel to Asuncion to face a tricky Paraguay side on Thursday night.
Lionel Scaloni's side are on the cusp of qualifying for the finals in 2026, where they will defend the crown they won in Qatar two years ago.
Match preview
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Another professional display last month means Argentina continue to lead the way in South American qualifying, thrashing Bolivia 6-0 on home soil to remain three points clear of Colombia.
A Lionel Messi masterclass put the hapless Bolivians to the sword in Buenos Aires, as the captain netted a hat-trick and set up a further two goals in a faultless performance by the little magician.
That win moved the Albiceleste to 22 points, and with mid-20s often enough top finish in the top six, Argentina have one giant foot in the finals already.
Scaloni's side will not take their foot off the pedal, though, as they should seek now to ensure they finish top of the section, something they have not managed in the last two qualifying cycles.
Playing away from home will not deter them either, like it does to most teams in CONMEBOL, as Argentina have taken 10 points from their five games on the road so far, four more than any other nation.
However, the only points Argentina have dropped on their travels have come in their last two, as they were beaten in Colombia in September, before being held by Venezuela last month.
Facing Paraguay will be no easy stroll either, as La Albirroja were the last team to stop Argentina scoring in an away fixture, when they met in qualifying here back in 2021.
Like Paraguay's games in general of late, there is often very little excitement when these two nations meet, with the last seven encounters producing just seven goals, and the last two held here ended goalless.
That will be the name of the game again for the hosts, though, as their tally of four goals scored and four goals conceded in their 10 qualifiers so far clearly illustrates what their plan is to qualify for a first World Cup since 2010.
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Credit is in order for manager Gustavo Alfaro though, because while not pretty on the eye, it is hugely effective, with Paraguay entering this matchday inside the automatic qualifying positions.
Excellent form over the last two months since Alfaro's appointment has catapulted Paraguay from outsiders to favourites to nick the final qualifying spot in sixth, as they have taken eight points from their last four outings.
Winning your home games and drawing away is always a good recipe to reach the finals, especially in South America, and that is what Paraguay have been doing, beating Brazil and drawing in Uruguay in September.
Alfaro's men repeated the trick last month too, facing fellow pragmatists Ecuador and drawing 0-0, before getting the better of Venezuela on matchday 10, leaving them one point above Bolivia in the playoff spot, and two ahead of Venezuela in eighth.
While the stats on goals for and against are remarkable, Paraguay showed they are capable of turning it on attack against La Vinotinto, as that 2-1 win over Venezuela was the first time in qualifying that one of their matches has produced more than one goal.
Team News
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Manager Alfaro will be facing his home nation here, and seven members of his squad play domestic football in Argentina, so making good preparation will not be beyond them.
The squad is virtually unchanged from the one Alfaro named in October, but in attack, there are concerns about the lack of game time most of Paraguay's players are currently getting.
Antonio Sanabria has recently broken back into the Torino team after netting a brace in the win over Venezuela last month, but the Premier League trio behind him, Miguel Almiron, Julio Enciso and Ramon Sosa, are all struggling to get regular minutes at club level.
For Argentina, Enzo Fernandez has also seen his game time heavily reduced in recent weeks at Chelsea, but he remains an important figure in the Argentina midfield, so should start.
Giovani Lo Celso has also recovered from the injury he picked up during the October break just in time to be called up again, and being away from home could see Scaloni sacrifice Lautaro Martinez for the Real Betis man.
If one Martinez misses out, one will certainly return, because Emiliano Martinez is back in the squad after serving a two-match suspension last month, and will replace Geronimo Rulli between the sticks.
Paraguay possible starting lineup:
R. Fernandez; Caceres, G. Gomez, Alderete, Balbuena, Alonso; Cubas, D. Gomez; Almiron, Sanabria, Enciso
Argentina possible starting lineup:
E. Martinez; Molina, Otamendi, Romero, Tagliafico; De Paul, Fernandez, Lo Celso, Mac Allister; Messi, Alvarez
We say: Paraguay 0-0 Argentina
Paraguay will set out their stall early on to go for a 0-0 draw here and chase a seventh clean sheet in 11 qualifiers, and their brilliant recent home form suggests they are capable.
Argentina will know that they only need a few more points to progress to the finals, and a draw would not be a bad result for them either at a venue where they have only won once since 1997, ahead of a very enticing home clash with Peru next week.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Andrew Delaney
Argentina
Uruguay
Ecuador
Colombia
Brazil
Paraguay
Bolivia
Venezuela
Chile
Peru
