World Champions Argentina start the defence of their World Cup crown with a home qualifier against Ecuador on Thursday night.

Ecuador also reached the finals in Qatar and will be confident of qualifying for another tournament given that CONMEBOL now have six automatic places with an additional playoff spot on top.

Match preview

In Argentina's first competitive game since the World Cup final, Lionel Scaloni will hope his side can continue their fine unbeaten run.

Saudi Arabia ended their phenomenal 36-game unbeaten streak in their group opener in Qatar, a run which saw them go unbeaten throughout a qualifying section for the first time since its format changed for the 1998 World Cup.

Since that shock defeat, though, Argentina have won all 10 matches they have played, including the following six games at the World Cup, and four friendlies since.

Scaloni remains in charge, and so does the vast majority of the squad which featured in Qatar, so it should be business as usual for La Albiceleste.

Panama, Curacao, Australia and Indonesia were all beaten to nil in those friendlies, with 13 goals scored, but this will be a much tougher test.

The expanded World Cup means qualification should be much more comfortable in general for Argentina, with no repeat of their close shave in 2018 qualifying to be expected when they only sealed their place on the final day, when they were the joint-second lowest scorers on the continent.

With the finals still three years away, it is tough to tell whether Lionel Messi will stick around for a sixth World Cup, but he is still in the squad and has been showing sensational form at Inter Miami over the summer.

Messi is the man Ecuador will be most focused on stopping when they face the most daunting prospect in world football currently - playing the World Champions.

Ecuador have navigated South American qualification consummately in recent years though, reaching four of the last six World Cups despite not having history as one of the elite footballing nations on the continent.

That is illustrated none more so than the fact that their first finals appearance was in South Korea and Japan back in 2002, with 2010 and 2018 being the only years since the turn of the millennium where they have failed to qualify.

Form once they reach major tournaments so often deserts them though, as three of those four World Cup finals have seen them eliminated at the group stages.

The 2022 World Cup saw them beat hosts Qatar in the tournament opener, but they froze against Senegal in the group decider and crashed out sooner than hoped.

Their record at the Copa America is even more abysmal, with seven group stage exits in nine finals since 1999.

In the 30 matches they have played in the competition since '99, Ecuador have won just three times and even reached the quarter-finals without winning a match in 2021.

Team News

Messi is set to make his 176th cap for Argentina, as Scaloni could name the exact same lineup which started the World Cup final against France.

Paulo Dybala and Emi Buendia are the most notable injury absentees from the squad, but Lisandro Martinez is in the squad despite going off early for Manchester United at the weekend.

Lucas Ocampos, Giovani Lo Celso and Marcos Acuna are among the players who have been dropped from the squad this time around.

Scaloni has a selection headache in attack, with both Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez in scintillating form so far this season, so the manager could be tempted into starting both of them.

The only selection up for debate for Ecuador is in goal, and Hernan Galindez may get the nod.

Galindez is battling for a place with fellow 36-year-old Alexander Dominguez, one of just two players still in the side from the squad which went to the 2014 World Cup.

The other man still standing is star man Enner Valencia who remains in great form after joining Internacional.

It was Valencia's three goals that saw his side overcome Bolivar in their Copa Libertadores quarter-final last month, continuing his fine run in front of goal which saw him score 33 for Fenerbahce last season, and a further three at the World Cup.

With Pervis Estupinan, Ecuador also have arguably the most in-form left-back anywhere at the moment given his excellent start with Brighton & Hove Albion, but he may face a daunting task should Messi start on the right.

Argentina possible starting lineup:
E Martinez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico; De Paul, Mac Allister, Alvarez; Messi, L Martinez, Di Maria

Ecuador possible starting lineup:
Galindez; Preciado, Torres, Arboleda, Pacho, Estupinan; Plata, Caicedo, Gruezo, Mena; Valencia

We say: Argentina 3-0 Ecuador

Argentina will fully expect to take all three points in their qualifying opener, especially with home advantage and a strong squad at Scaloni's disposal.

Ecuador have won in Argentina as recently as 2015, but that remains their only ever win over La Albiceleste away from home, and they will come into this one as big underdogs.


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