Argentina vs Bolivia

Argentina vs Bolivia prediction, H2H & Probable Line-ups - October 16, 2024

One of the matches in the 19th round of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup will be held on Wednesday at Buenos Aires' Monumental Stadium, where Argentina will take on Bolivia. Here's a match prediction from sports news experts.

Argentina

The reigning world champions continue their steady progress through the qualifiers, leading the standings with 19 points from nine matches. However, the "Albiceleste" haven't been particularly prolific, averaging just 1.5 goals per game—surprising for a team boasting stars like Lionel Messi.

Currently, Argentina is experiencing a slight dip in form, having gone two matches without a win. A 2-1 away defeat to Colombia and a 1-1 home draw with Venezuela hint at a temporary decline in performance. Offensive leaders Messi and Nicolás Otamendi have each scored three goals, but injuries to key players like González and Dybala could affect their upcoming results.

Bolivia

Bolivia began the qualification campaign as underdogs but has steadily gained momentum, climbing into the top six of the standings after securing four wins in their last five games. During this run, coach Óscar Villegas’ squad has displayed strong form, with their only loss coming against Uruguay.

As they prepare for this away match against the world champions, Bolivia is riding a three-game winning streak, including an impressive 1-0 victory over Colombia last week, despite playing with 10 men after Cuéllar's red card in the 20th minute. However, Bolivia has struggled on the road, winning just one of their four away games and losing the other three.

Match Facts

• The "Total Over 2.5" bet has hit in four of the last five matches between these teams.
• The "Both Teams to Score" bet has won in three of the last five matches.
• The "Both Teams to Score" bet has hit in two of Argentina's last five matches.

Head-to-Head

Argentina has controlled recent matchups, winning their last four encounters, with three of those victories coming by a three-goal margin.

Probable Lineups

Argentina: Rulli; Molina, Otamendi, Romero, Tagliafico; De Paul, Enzo Fernández, Mac Allister, Álvarez; Lautaro Martínez, Messi

Bolivia: Viscarra, Cuéllar Rosales, Jaquín, Suárez, Rocha Rodríguez, Céspedes, Villamil Cortés, Sagredo, Terceros, Vaca, Algaranaz

Prediction

Betting on an outright Argentina win offers little value due to the heavily reduced odds (1.05 for a home victory). However, with Bolivia's recent strong performances and Argentina's relatively low scoring, a bet on Bolivia with a +3.5 goal handicap at odds of 1.69 seems like a more attractive option.