World Cup 2026: Another Tough Away Day for Argentina

Paraguay vs Argentina

Argentina continue their World Cup 2026 qualification campaign at the Defensores del Chaco Stadium on Thursday when the reigning world champions will meet an in-form Paraguay in a testing Round 11 clash.  

Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina are still top of the CONMEBOL qualifying table, though their lead has been whittled away to three points following a sticky run of four points from three games.

Meanwhile, Paraguay have climbed up to sixth qualifying place, winning two and drawing two of their last four, and they are desperate to keep hold of that.

The hosts will be encouraged that their opponents have failed to win their last two away games, but the World Cup 2026 betting odds will leave no doubt as the size of the task facing Gustavo Alfaro’s Paraguay.

 

Talking Points

Paraguay a hard nut to crack

Los Guiranies are on the march, breaking in to the qualifying places thanks to a four-match unbeaten run during which they picked up two home wins against the might of Brazil and Venezuela.

And two away draws to Ecuador and Uruguay are impressive results too. With a goal record of four scored and four conceded, this is clearly a team which struggles to find the net but is devilishly hard to break down.     

The Paraguay defence is marshalled by 31-year-old skipper Gustavo Gomez alongside the experienced Junior Alonso, and they will take on the task of holding off Argentina’s stellar attack with relish.

And if they do somehow manage another clean sheet, then the hosts have players who can score a big goal and maybe even a winner.

Torino’s Antonio Sanabria has three goals from five games in the competition so far, and he bagged a brace in the 2-1 win over Venezuela with an assist from Alonso.  

Newcastle United’s Miguel Almiron, now 30 years old, has 62 caps and seven goals, and he remains a lively customer with a cool head in front of goal, while 20-year-old Brighton forward Julio Enciso is also pushing for a start.

 

Messi remains the man for Argentina

He’s almost retired from international football more than once, but La Albiceleste’s talisman Lionel Messi is still loving it.

Having ended Argentina’s long trophy drought with Copa America and World Cup wins, the pressure seems to have lifted from Messi’s shoulders. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner was the star in Argentina’s 6-0 drubbing of Bolivia last time out, scoring a hat-trick while setting up Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez for goals, and substitute Thiago Almada bagged the sixth.

“This drives me,” said Messi in the aftermath of victory. “Despite my age, when I’m here I feel like a kid because I’m comfortable with this team. As long as I feel good and can keep performing the way I want, I’ll keep enjoying it.”

Inter Milan captain Martinez has racked up 30 goals from 68 internationals now, while Alvarez scored Atletico Madrid’s winner in their 1-0 victory over Real Mallorca at the weekend, and these two are likely to line up in front of Messi for the visit to Paraguay.

They have struggled on their recent travels, losing to Colombia and drawing with Venezuela, and Messi and co. will be keen to put that right on Thursday.     

 

History

Paraguay are eight-time World Cup qualifiers and reached the quarter-finals in 2010, while twice winning the Copa America.

But on Thursday, they face the current World Cup and Copa America champions, as La Albiceleste won their third world crown in 2022 and their 16^th Copa in 2024.  

Argentina have won eight of the 18 meetings over the past 20 years, while Paraguay have won three, and there have been seven draws.

Paraguay have been on an upward trend since losing back-to-back games in the summer with two wins and two draws from their last four games.

Meanwhile, Argentina have won four from six, a 6-0 battering of Bolivia following a brief blip of one point from two games.

None of the last six meetings between Paraguay and Argentina have yielded over two goals with neither team scoring more than one goal in any game. 

 

Betting Tip

Paraguay are at SBOTOP odds of 4.75 to win this fascinating clash, with the draw at 3.10 and favourites Argentina priced at 1.69.

Sitting 55^th in the FIFA World Rankings and facing the top ranked team in the world, this looks like a daunting task for the hosts, but their recent World Cup 2026 results have been strong, and they will fight tooth and nail to come out of this match with something.

It’s going to be tight, but I think the visitors will find a moment of quality to break through, and a 1-0 win to Argentina is available at 4.45.

   

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