Argentina vs Bolivia prediction, preview, team news and more

The FIFA World Cup qualifiers are back in action with another set of matches this week as Argentina take on Bolivia on Thursday. The Albicelestes have been excellent in recent weeks and hold the upper hand going into this match.

Bolivia have struggled in their qualification campaign so far and have plenty of work to do in the next few months. The Bolivians suffered a 4-2 defeat against Uruguay last week and will need to bounce back in this fixture.

Argentina, on the other hand, have enjoyed an exceptional year and ended their trophy drought with a Copa America victory. The reigning South American champions did not get to play against Brazil last week and will be intent on making their mark on Thursday.

Emiliano Martinez and Emiliano Buendia are not staying with the Argentina team as they're off to Croatia but it appears as though Cristian Romero and Gio Lo Celso could be off too. Their participation remains unclear for the match against Bolivia. This via TyC Sports.
— Roy Nemer (@RoyNemer) September 6, 2021

Expand Tweet

Argentina vs Bolivia Head-to-Head

Argentina have an impressive record against Bolivia and have won 29 games out of 41 matches played between the two teams. Bolivia have managed only seven victories against Argentina and will need to be at their best on Thursday.

The previous match between the two teams took place in Copa America 2021 and ended in a 4-1 victory for Argentina. Bolivia were poor on the day and will need to be more robust this week.

Argentina form guide: W-W-W-W-W

Bolivia form guide: L-D-L-L-L

Argentina vs Bolivia Team News

Argentina

Emiliano Martinez, Emiliano Buendia, Giovani Lo Celso, and Cristian Romero are on their way back to Europe and are unavailable for this game. Argentina will consequently be forced into several changes this week.

Lionel Messi was on the receiving end of a horrifying tackle against Venezuela but has recovered from the knock. Rodrigo de Paul and Leandro Paredes have been impressive for Argentina and are set to feature as a double pivot against Bolivia.

Injured: Sergio Aguero

Doubtful: None

Unavailable: Emiliano Martinez, Emiliano Buendia, Giovani Lo Celso, Cristian Romero

Bolivia

Diego Bejarano is carrying a knock at the moment and is unlikely to be risked in this fixture. Carmelo Algaranaz has served his suspension and will be available for selection against Argentina.

Injured: None

Doubtful: Diego Bejarano

Suspended: None

Argentina vs Bolivia Predicted XI

Argentina Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Juan Musso; Gonzalo Montiel, German Pezzella, Nicolas Otamendi, Marcos Acuna; Rodrigo De Paul, Leandro Paredes; Angel Di María, Lionel Messi, Nicolas Gonzalez; Lautaro Martinez

The latest on the Argentina and Brazil World Cup qualifier fiasco. https://t.co/FNFo7DRHre
— Roy Nemer (@RoyNemer) September 7, 2021

Expand Tweet

Bolivia Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Carlos Lampe; Marc Enoumba, Luis Haquin, Adrian Jusino, Roberto Fernandez; Erwin Saavedra, Moises Villarroel; Jeyson Chura, Juan Arce, Rodrigo Ramallo; Marcelo Moreno

Argentina vs Bolivia Prediction

Argentina have enjoyed a triumphant year so far and have built an impressive squad under Lionel Scaloni. With Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martinez, and Angel Di Maria in their ranks, the Albicelestes can potentially be unstoppable in the final third.

Bolivia have struggled this year and are winless in their last seven international matches. Argentina are the better team on paper and should be able to win this game.

Prediction: Argentina 2-0 Bolivia

About the author

Aditya is a European and international football writer at Sportskeeda, covering previews, news, post-match articles and live blogs for 5 years. During his time here, he has had the privilege of covering a press meeting during the collaboration between his favorite club Bengaluru FC and Sevilla, where he got a chance to interact with Sevilla president Jose Castro and explore the grassroots development in his city.

Aditya started following the sport after being dazzled by Ronaldinho’s silky feet at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He is a Barcelona fan and unsurprisingly, his favorite manager and players are Pep Guardiola and Andres Iniesta respectively. He admires the latter for his superhuman talent and his off-pitch demeanor, and his winning goal in Spain’s 2010 World Cup final win over the Netherlands left a lasting impact on Aditya.

The match-preview specialist believes that his ongoing five-year stint at Sportskeeda has given him the ability to identify the distinct line between emotional and fact-based articles, which separates him from other journalists. For him, fact-checking is the most integral part of his writing process and he only relies on authentic platforms for data.

Aditya is a semi-professional pianist and likes to participate in concerts and recitals when not immersed in football.

Know More

Edited by Aditya Hosangadi

Argentina vs Bolivia prediction, preview, team news and more | 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers