Argentina - Peru: Overcoming the death curve

(Baonghean.vn) - Messi and his teammates will get closer to the 2018 World Cup finals if they defeat their direct opponent Peru in the penultimate match taking place at 6:30 a.m. on October 6 (Vietnam time).

The match between host Argentina and visiting Peru is a crucial one, deciding the fate of coach Sampaoli and his team in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers in South America. A defeat or at least a draw will make the door to Russia next summer narrower than ever.

Currently, the Tango team is temporarily in 5th place on the rankings (play-off position with New Zealand), behind 4th place Peru in terms of sub-index and only 1 point ahead of 6th place Chile.

If Argentina loses, 4th place will be firmly in the hands of the Peru team. With a gap of 3 points with only 1 round left in the qualifying round, coach Sampaoli and his team do not have many opportunities to correct their mistakes. More seriously, the possibility of Chile snatching 5th place is clear as day.

Because in this round, Chile only has to welcome the weak team Ecuador at home. The goal of winning 3 points will not be too difficult for Sanchez and his teammates.

The first leg between the two teams ended in a 2-2 draw. Photo: Internet

Therefore, the mission of the Argentine players is nothing other than to gain maximum points and score many goals against the Peru team. The away match against Ecuador in a few days is predicted to be less good than bad for the Albicelestes.

The poor results against Bolivia, Venezuela, Peru... on the opponent's field have exposed the weakness of the Argentina team when facing weak opponents. It will not be surprising if the Argentina team loses to Ecuador in the 18th round.

Therefore, to avoid a "long night of dreams", Messi and his teammates must defeat Peru in this round. Victory also means that Argentina will take the 4th place from Peru. At that time, half of the tickets to Russia will be firmly in the hands of coach Sampaoli and his team.

In theory, it is so, but in reality, it is not simple. In terms of strength, reputation and home field advantage, the "Tango dancers" are a few levels above the visiting team Peru.

However, Argentina's form is really not good. The disappointing draw against bottom-placed Venezuela clearly reflected that.

Under coach Sampaoli, the pale face of the Argentina national team has not changed much. Star Messi still has to shoulder all the tasks on the field and the criticism from home fans. The striker born in 1987 alone cannot pull the whole train to overcome the difficulties ahead.

Once again the burden is placed on captain Messi's shoulders. Photo: Internet

On the other side of the front line, although the Peruvian national team is not highly rated in terms of squad quality, head-to-head record and has to play away, the team nicknamed La Rojiblanca possesses enough advantages to make Argentina extremely wary.

In addition to a better goal difference than their opponents, the Peruvian national team has been in impressive form recently. In the last two matches against Bolivia and Ecuador, the team led by coach Ricardo Gareca won all 6 points. What seemed like hope had been extinguished has now been rekindled for the Peruvian players.

Entering the match with Argentina, Peru is the team with the advantage in terms of spirit. If they can only draw with the home team, Pizarro and his teammates will have the right to decide in the final match. The opponent that Peru will face on the final day of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers in the South American region is Colombia - the team that is likely to win a ticket in this match.

What the Venezuelan players did against Argentina about a month ago will help Peru feel more confident in the upcoming match.

Certainly, Argentina will focus on attacking, while Peru will organize a tight defense. Although the "Tango dancers" are under more pressure than their opponents, 3 points will be difficult to escape from the hands of coach Sampaoli and his team. In the situation of "fighting with their backs against the wall", Messi and his teammates will be extremely scary. Believe me, Argentina will overcome the deadly curve called Peru./.

Thanh Hung