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Argentina's first outing since their World Cup final heartbreak is a friendly against Bolivia at the Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium in Cordoba on Thursday morning.
La Seleccion failed to defend their 2022 crown as they were beaten 1-0 by Spain in the final this summer.
Having failed to qualify for the World Cup, Bolivia have kept themselves busy by playing other friendlies.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Argentina vs. Bolivia key stats
- Argentina won 14 straight games before losing to Spain.
- Bolivia are on a four-match losing run in all competitions.
- Argentina have won nine of the last 10 H2Hs (L1).
Argentina vs. Bolivia preview: La Seleccion to get back to winning ways?
Argentina vs Bolivia — Tale of the Tape
| Argentina | vs | Bolivia |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd (World Cup) | Position | N/A |
| 9 (Group Stage) | Points | N/A |
| 19 | Goals For | N/A |
| 8 | Goals Against | N/A |
| 2 | Clean Sheets | N/A |
| 2nd | Home / Away Rank | N/A |
After losing the World Cup final, Argentina are set to enter a new era under Lionel Scaloni.
Captain and La Seleccion legend Lionel Messi is set to retire after they play Benin in another upcoming friendly.
Cristian Romero will take over the captaincy, and while a lot of the core group of players will remain, Messi's absence will certainly be felt.
Argentina will also be without Leandro Paredes for this one, having been given a 10-game ban for his part in the post-match scuffle after the World Cup final.
Bolivia missed out on the tournament altogether, after losing 2-1 to Iraq in their play-off.
That was the first of four straight defeats for Oscar Villegas' side, with the last three being friendlies without scoring.
Ranking 75 places below Argentina (2nd) in 77th in the FIFA World Rankings, Bolivia are huge underdogs here, so it will be interesting to see how they approach this.
Villegas could choose to experiment with his squad again, like he has done in the previous friendlies by prioritising youth.
Argentina vs. Bolivia form guide & betting tips
| Argentina | vs | Bolivia |
|---|---|---|
WWWWL |
Form | WLLLL |
| 11 | Goals For | 3 |
| 7 | Goals Against | 13 |
| Friendlies | LLL |
Whispers predicts: Argentina 4-0 Bolivia
Argentina heavy 1/10 (1.10) favourites to win, but while we agree with the bookies, we want to explore other bets.
Given two of Bolivia's last three defeats have been by a 4-0 scoreline, Argentina to win (-3 handicap) at 7/4 (2.75) stands out.
BTTS – No at 8/15 (1.53) is a safer pick given Bolivia drew blanks in their previous three friendlies, while Lautaro Martinez to score anytime at 4/7 (1.57) provides a nice combination having netted three times at the World Cup in total including in his previous two Argentina appearances.
Overall, we are predicting a 4-0 Argentina victory, which is available at 13/2 (7.50).
> BTTS – No at 1.53 | Likelihood: High
> Lautaro Martinez to score anytime at 1.57 | Likelihood: High
> Argentina to win (-3 handicap) at 2.75 | Likelihood: Medium