After the 2022 World Cup triumph, everyone loves to watch Argentina play. They have Lionel Messi without the pressure on his shoulders, weaving his magic in soccer matches. With the 2026 World Cup in 2 years, we see Argentina in pole position to qualify for the next. The team faces Bolivia in the next round of the World Cup qualifiers in Buenos Aires on 15th October at the Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti. A draw in the previous match didn’t hurt them much as they maintained a three-point gap between the first and second positions.

Argentina extended its lead to 19 points with Columbia and Uruguay suffering shock defeats. The game against Bolivia would be critical to their chances of winning an automatic qualification for the World Cup in 2026. Notably, La Albiceleste took the lead from a Nicolas Otamendi header only for Salomon Rondon to cancel it out.

With the team conceding just eight goals in the last 20 qualifiers so far, Lionel Scaloni has a team set up well. The match against Bolivia could help them to remain on top. Meanwhile, Bolivia, who doesn’t play well in away games, has hit form in recent times. Under Oscar Villegas, they stay in the 6th position of the World Cup qualifiers. They have shown impressive form by defeating Columbia and Venezuela in this campaign. Moreover, beating Chile away became one of the historic wins for the country. Thus, let’s get into the team news, prediction, and more for the match.

Team news for Argentina vs Bolivia

Argentina: 

By making his first return after suffering an injury in the Copa America final, Lionel Messi came back to the team. However, he didn’t find his form in the match, only getting a draw. Thiago Almada has been in fine form and gives competition to most of the midfielders out there, starting against Venezuela. Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez will be out of the team as he serves a two-match ban. Cristian Romero might be back in the lineup after getting a suspension for several yellow cards.

Bolivia:

Despite not putting in outstanding performances at the club level, Miguelito scores for free for his country. He remains the go-to player for the nation to score goals. On the other hand, Hector Cuellar will miss the game due to a red card suspension. With injuries to Ervin Vaca and Yomar Rocha, Bolivia must get other players to perform well. Main goalkeeper Carlos Lampe might not make the team sheet after he left the team with an injury in the last game.

Predicted Lineups:

Argentina [4-4-2]: G Rulli; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico; Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez, Lo Celso; Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martinez, Julian Alvarez

Bolivia [4-3-3]: Viscarra; Medina, Haquin, Suarez, Sagredo; Robson Matheus, Villamil, R Vaca; Miguelito, Algaranaz, Chura

Head-to-Head Stats

Matches: 43

Argentina won: 31

Bolivia won: 7

Draws: 5

We expect this to be a tight affair considering Bolivia’s recent form. They defended remarkably well after going down to 10 men in their victory over Columbia. Yet, with Lionel Messi regaining his fitness, it could be a different outcome. He loves to score against Bolivia with 8 goals to his name, the most in his collection of 109 goals.

Score prediction: Argentina 2-0 Bolivia

Watch Argentina vs Bolivia on TV channels and livestream

Fans in the United States can catch the action live on Fox Sports. Meanwhile, the live stream is available on Fubo TV. The game is available for live streaming on Fanatiz with a subscription.