Argentina will look to improve their chances of making it into the 2018 FIFA World Cup when they collide with Chile in a WCQ match on Thursday at Estadio Nacional De Chile.
Argentina failed to impress in their first four World Cup qualifying matches, winning in just one game against one loss and two draws. La Albiceleste are currently sixth in the CONMEBOL region table and will have to start winning games if they want to earn an automatic spot in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Good thing for the Argentines, FC Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi is set to return to the national squad after missing their first four fixtures due to injury. Without Messi, the perennial powerhouse started their campaign with a 0-2 loss to Ecuador, scoreless draw with Paraguay and 1-1 draw with Brazil before their 1-0 win against Colombia.
Argentina manager Gerardo Martino is glad to have Messi back and the veteran coach said that training felt different from the past after Messi returned to the team.
"Messi's presence is calming, motivating and always necessary," Martino said in a news conference via Daily Mail.
Argentina striker Sergio Aguero also said that Messi's return will be a big boost for La Albiceleste.
"It's total relief to play with Messi," Aguero said via Yahoo Sports. "Leo is always important for us and it's obvious we're happy when he's here because it's really nice to play with him."
Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo is familiar with Messi, having played with the reigning Ballon d'Or winner at FC Barcelona. Bravo said that it should be a total team effort if they want to stop Messi from inflicting too much damage in their upcoming match.
"As a group we are always very respectful of each rival," Bravo said via ESPN. "If we become stronger as a group, without the ball especially, we'll be close to achieving the target."
Chile are also looking to bounce back from a disappointing performance in their previous WCQ matches. They opened their campaign with 2-0 win against Brazil that was followed by a 4-3 victory over Peru. But in their last two fixtures, Chile settled for a 1-1 draw with Colombia and took a 3-0 loss to Uruguay.
Where to Watch and Live Stream
The Argentina-Chile World Cup qualifying match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET. TV broadcast and live stream information are available on Live Soccer TV.
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