Argentina Look to Regain Form Against Peru

Buenos Aires (November 20): Argentina, struggling to regain their form after a string of losses in the FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, will look to bring back their winning ways when they take on Peru at the La Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires on Wednesday.

The South American giants are currently atop the table with 22 points from 11 games, but a defeat against Colombia and Paraguay has disrupted their momentum. Argentina have not been clinical in their wins, with most of their seven victories coming by narrow margins. The only convincing win for the team came against Bolivia, where they thrashed their opponents 6-0.

Peru, on the other hand, are struggling at the bottom of the table with just seven points from 10 games, and will be looking to break their four-match losing streak when they take to the pitch against Argentina. However, they have drawn previously against Chile in their last game, indicating that they may put up a stronger resistance against Lionel Messi's team.

The match marks Messi's 191st appearance for Argentina, and a win would lift his spirits and give the team a much-needed boost. The team has no fresh injury worries beyond Cristian Romero, who sustained a foot injury against Paraguay and is currently out of contention.

Coach Lionel Scaloni may consider making at least one change to his midfield, with Leonardo Balerdi likely to partner Nicolas Otamendi in place of the injured Romero. Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez are expected to feature prominently up front, while Leandro Paredes could play a crucial role alongside Rodrigo DePaul and Enzo Fernandez in central midfield.

The match kicks off at 5:30 AM IST at La Bombonera and will be streamed live on FanCode app and website. Here's the predicted line-up for both teams:

Argentina: Emiliano Martinez; Jose Molina, Leonardo Balerdi, Nicolas Otamendi, Nicolas Tagliafico; Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernandez; Lionel Messi, Alexis Mac Allister, Julian Alvarez; Lautaro Martinez.

Peru: Pedro Gallego; Gustavo Osorio, Juan Camilo Amezcua, Michael Murraffoe; Juan Ibarra, Pedro Paredes, Andrey Gorjić; Renato Ceballos, Aldo Corzano, Carlos Saavedra.