Argentina and Ecuador will kick off their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign on Thursday, with the CONMEBOL competition getting under way this week. As always, all 10 members of the federation will play a full round-robin competition, with the top four qualifying directly and the fifth-placed finishers entering a play-off with nations from other continents.
BeIN Sports USA will provide full TV coverage for Thursday's match from Buenos Aires, with live streams available via the beIN Sports Connect app. Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, or 1 a.m. BST (the following day).
Argentina are the obvious favourites for the win but enter the match with a host of injury concerns, and the visitors will like their chances of pulling off the upset.
Preview
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Barcelona star Lionel Messi remains unavailable for selection due to injury, beheading the Argentinian attack before the qualification process has even begun. As reported by La Nacion (h/t Daily Mail's Daniel Prescott), Manchester City star Sergio Aguero will instead wear the iconic No. 10 shirt, and Messi is doing whatever he can to motivate his compatriot.
Aguero had this to say:
I spoke to the kit man and he told me it's obligatory, someone has to use it (the No 10 shirt) because the numbers go from 1 to 23. I wore it for the first time against Bosnia, in a friendly in the United States, and Leo (Messi) said: "When I am not around Kun (Aguero) has to use it."
Then he started to send me messages like: "Are you going to wear it? You're not going to chicken out?" Now every time he is absent it is up to me to wear it. I am happy to pull on the shirt, but it obviously belongs to him.
Marcos Rojo has also been ruled out for the hosts, per Rob Dawson of the Manchester Evening News, but of course, all attention will go to how the South American giants cope with the absence of the four-time Ballon d'Or winner.
The Albiceleste have grown incredibly reliant on the forward in recent years, with opposing teams taking advantage by isolating Messi and putting the pressure on Argentina's other forward to perform. The likes of Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain are among the best in the world when they play for their respective clubs, but they've come up short on the biggest stage when defending the national colours.
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The final of the 2014 World Cup was a perfect example, with Higuain missing a huge chance to put Argentina ahead, per the Dirty Tackle's Brooks Peck (via Yahoo Sports), and last year's final of the Copa America was no different.
Ecuador aren't among the absolute giants of Southern American football, but La Tricolor shouldn't be underestimated. They comfortably qualified for the 2014 World Cup and boast a number of athletic, experienced forwards who will trouble Argentina, including Jefferson Montero of Swansea City and Antonio Valencia of Manchester United.
Brasil Global Tour's Rupert Fryer is already looking forward to the clash between the former and Pablo Zabaleta:
Messi-less Argentina v Ecuador also should be very interesting tomorrow, esp. as looks like Zabaleta will get no help with Jefferson Montero
— Rupert Fryer (@Rupert_Fryer) October 7, 2015
West Ham United's Enner Valencia won't be playing on Thursday, via club chairman David Gold, however, and that's a strong boost to Argentina's chances of winning, given the absence of Rojo.
The Albiceleste's biggest strength lies in the attack―Manchester City's Nicolas Otamendi and Zenit St. Petersburg's Ezequiel Garay make up a very solid, but less star-studded defensive core.
With Messi not playing, manager Gerardo Martino has decided to call up two talented, in-form youngsters who will be worth keeping an eye on. Angel Correa and Paulo Dybala have both been selected in favour of Higuain, with the latter in particular shining in recent weeks.
The 21-year-old has been tasked with replacing Carlos Tevez at Juventus and has brought a similar, tireless approach to the pitch, with his impressive work rate standing out. Bleacher Report's Adam Digby is impressed:
More than just his goals, Dybala is proving to be a constant problem for defenders, blending pace and power in a manner eerily similar to the way Tevez often bustled his way past helpless opponents with ease.
[…] Yet just like Tevez, his work rate when not in possession has also caught the eye. That is arguably the one facet of his play that time alongside the veteran star would have affected most, but it seems to be a lesson Dybala has already learned.
With Tevez also in the squad, the young Dybala may not play at all, unless Argentina can put a couple of goals past Ecuador early. Given Dybala's strong form, however, it wouldn't be a bad idea for Martino to trust the Juventus man and take advantage of his constant movement against a strong but fairly static Ecuador defence.
Even without Messi, Argentina should be able to get their qualification campaign off to a winning start in front of their home fans in Buenos Aires. Ecuador haven't lost since the 2015 Copa America, but expect that to change on Thursday.
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