World Cup qualifying in South America rolls on as second-place Argentina host sixth-place Colombia on Tuesday. The Argentines are sitting pretty in second place having already qualified, while Los Cafeteros are in serious trouble. They looked well on their way to qualifying for the 2022 World Cup but now find themselves on the outside looking in after that surprising home loss to Peru last time out. With three games to go, Colombia are two points behind the playoff spot and three behind direct qualification.
Here’s our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 1 | Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Location: Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes — Cordoba, Argenitna
Live stream: fuboTV (Try now)
Odds: Argentina -114; Draw +205; Colombia +350 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Team news
Argentina: After a physical game at Chile, some rotation is expected in Lionel Scaloni’s squad. Might we see Manchester City signing Julian Alvarez get some serious minutes? It also seems likely that Paulo Dybala will get to see the field after being an unused sub against Chile. The back line of Lisandro Martinez and Nicolas Otamendi is likely to start.
Colombia: Time to press the panic button. They haven’t won any of their last six qualifiers, drawing four and losing two. To make matters worse, they haven’t scored a goal in any of those games. That’s right, you have to go back to Sept. 9, 2021 for the last time they put the ball in the back of the net in qualifying. And it’s not for lack of chances, it’s just that the sharpness isn’t there. In the 1-0 loss to Peru, the defense allowed just four shots and attack produced 30 (!) but only two were put on frame. Don’t be surprised if Luis Suarez of Granada gets a chance in this one with nobody else in attack doing much of anything, and expect James Rodriguez to play more centrally.
Prediction
In a rematch of the Copa America semifinals, Argentina get the better of Colombia again with Angel Di Maria finding the net. Pick: Argentina 2, Colombia 1
