Paraguay vs Argentina

Estadio Defensores del Chaco is the venue as Paraguay and Argentina go head-to-head in an intriguing World Cup qualifying match-up.

Paraguay eked out a 2-1 home victory over Venezuela in the most recent World Cup qualifying round to bring a six-match winless streak in the ongoing qualifying campaign to a halt (D4, L2). Sitting just two points adrift of the five qualification spots, the Paraguayans remain hopeful of reaching their first World Cup finals since 2010. However, it’s been over a decade since Paraguay last won consecutive World Cup qualifying matches, most recently doing so in 2009. Additionally, current manager Eduardo Berizzo has yet to win back-to-back games during his ‘La Albirroja’ tenure and has never outplayed his native Argentina. Yet, the home supporters will find some optimism in Parguay’s recent free-scoring form on home soil, with ‘Los Guaraníes’ netting precisely two goals in three of their five World Cup qualifiers at home (W1, D3, L1).

On the other hand, Argentina’s 3-0 thumping victory over Bolivia at home in their most recent World Cup qualifier means they are one of just two South American nations yet to lose in the ongoing qualifying campaign (W5, D3). Away from home, the Argentineans have won all but one of their four World Cup qualifiers in this cycle (D1), bagging 2+ on each occasion, at an average of 2.25 goals per match. Indeed, Lionel Messi and co have been scoring for fun lately, finding the net in nine consecutive World Cup qualifiers, including eight in the last three. Worryingly, though, Lionel Scaloni’s men have failed to keep a clean sheet four times across their previous five World Cup qualifying fixtures despite avoiding defeat on each occasion (W4, D1).