Uruguay vs Argentina Preview

Uruguay will look to close the gap between them and Argentina at the top of the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying table when they meet at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo later this week.

Uruguay are currently five points behind leaders Argentina in the table, but a win here would narrow that gap and send them ever closer to qualification.

They have the foundation to secure such a huge win, having already beaten the reigning world champions once in this qualification cycle, winning 2-0 in Buenos Aires in November 2023 to break a sequence of seven winless H2Hs (D2, L5). La Celeste have been formidable at home too, winning nine of their last 11 matches in Montevideo (D2), although that sequence started after Argentina beat them 1-0 in November 2021. They kept clean sheets in four of the last five of those games, which must have pleased head coach Marcelo Bielsa as he eyes a third consecutive personal H2H victory against his native Argentina.

Meanwhile, Argentina will be looking to secure a win over Uruguay without the services of iconic captain Lionel Messi who has been ruled out of this set of games due to an injury. The Inter Miami forward has been at the centre of everything good for Argentina in the last two decades or so and his absence will be a huge miss.

However without him the visitors aren’t doomed. With six matchdays remaining and six guaranteed qualification places, Argentina are close to being guaranteed a place at the 2026 World Cup. Still they will be concerned about protecting their top spot in the world rankings.

However, since their Copa América triumph in July, Lionel Scaloni’s men have experienced mixed fortunes (W3, D1, L2), with defeats to Colombia and Paraguay keeping the door ajar at the top. Argentina has a few weaknesses, but one might be their travelling form. They’re winless across their last three WCQ away games (D1, L2)—their longest such run since a sequence of five during qualifying for the 2018 World Cup that included a 0-0 draw in Uruguay.