It Is a battle of the heavyweights as Argentina host Brazil in a heavyweight CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier. Both teams have been weakened by the absence of certain key players and could be set to cancel each other out.
Argentina continue to set the pace in the South American qualifiers and are now six points clear at the top of the table after claiming a 1-0 victory over Uruguay last time out. In the absence of Lionel Messi and Lautaro Martinez, Thiago Almada struck the only goal in the second half.
With that win, Argentina are now unbeaten in four of their last five matches in the qualifiers. However, they tend to concede against the big sides and have let in two goals in each of the games against Paraguay, Uruguay and Colombia.
After a slow start to the qualifiers, Brazil have been on the rise in recent matches and are unbeaten in their last five fixtures. They picked up a 2-1 victory over Colombia last time out with Raphinha and Vinicius Junior getting the goals.
Brazil have also shown some quality on their travels and are unbeaten in their previous two away matches, playing out a 1-1 draw in Venezuela last time out on the road. However, their already shaky defence will be weakened by the absence of Gabriel Magalhaes, who is suspended.
How the bookies view it: Bookies backing Argentina
Argentina have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 23/20 by BoyleSports to claim the win. A victory for Brazil is valued at 12/5 by BoyleSports, who are also offering odds of 2/1 by BoyleSports.
Head to head: Brazil on top
Brazil have a 19-10 advantage with eight draws from 37 previous matches against Argentina. However, the Argentines have claimed three wins and a draw in the last four meetings, picking up a 1-0 away win in the reverse fixture in November 2023.
Players to watch: Alvarez and Vinicius Jr.
In the absence of Messi and Martinez, Julian Alvarez will be the one to watch for Argentina having scored in two of the last three home matches in the qualifiers. Almada and Giuliano Simeone should provide support and can help the hosts get over 0.5 goals at 1/3 with BoyleSports.
Vinicius Junior was on target against Colombia and will be the one to watch for Brazil. With Rodrygo also providing support, the visitors can be backed to produce over 0.5 goals at 8/13 with BoyleSports.
Probable line-ups
Argentina will be without Martinez and Messi, with both men still sidelined with injury. Nicolas Gonzalez is suspended after picking up a red card in Uruguay while Alvarez is expected to lead the line once again.
Alisson is likely to miss out for Brazil after suffering a suspected concussion, following a blow to the head against Colombia. Gabriel and Bruno Guimaraes are suspended due to a yellow card accumulation while it remains to be seen if Raphinha will feature, with Barcelona facing Osasuna in a rescheduled La Liga fixture on Thursday.
Argentina: Martinez, Molina, Romero, Otamemdi, Tagliafico, Mac Allister, De Paul, Simeone, Fernandez, Almada, Alvarez
Brazil: Bento, Wesley, Murillo, Marquinhos, Vanderson, Gerson, Andre, Joelinton, Cunha, Rodrygo, Vinicius.
Anything else catch the eye?
Both teams have scored in four of Brazil's last five matches and a repeat could be on the cards at 11/10 with BoyleSports. Three of their last five matches have produced over 2.5 goals, which is priced at 6/4 by BoyleSports.
Both teams have been level at the break in their last two meetings and with the Brazilians also playing out a halftime draw with Colombia, a repeat is priced at 20/23 with BoyleSports.
This World Cup match between Argentina and Brazil will be played on and kick off at 01:00. Check below for our tipsters best Argentina vs Brazil prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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