Argentina vs Brazil Odds & Prediction – South American Qualifiers Matchday 14

• Argentina locks horns with Brazil on Tuesday, November 16th
• Both sides have yet to lose in qualifying
• Find the odds, preview, and prediction below

It’s a clash between South America’s heavyweights on Tuesday, November 16th as Argentina hosts Brazil at the Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario in CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying. The kick-off is scheduled for 6:30 PM EST.

The Argentines managed to pull off a 1-0 victory over Uruguay last time out, despite Lionel Messi only making a 15-minute cameo as a substitute. However, the PSG star will be fit enough to start against their rivals. As for Selecao, they officially booked their ticket to Qatar on Matchday 13 with a win against Colombia.

The last meeting between the two sides was abruptly suspended due to COVID-19 protocols being breached by several Argentina players, but they did beat Brazil in the Copa America Final in the summer.

Argentina vs Brazil Odds

All odds as of November 15th at DraftKings.

Argentina Enjoying Impressive Run

Lionel Scaloni’s men lifted their first Copa America trophy since 1993 in July and have carried their impressive form into the qualifiers. In fact, Argentina is currently enjoying a 26-game unbeaten run that dates back to the Copa America semifinals in July of 2019 where they tasted defeat to their Matchday 14 oppositions, Brazil.

In qualifying, the Argentinians sit in second spot and six points behind the Brazilians. With a victory on Tuesday, La Albiceleste can hand Brazil their first loss and close the gap between the two powerhouses at the top of the table. However, Scaloni’s squad is fresh off a rather uninspiring performance against Uruguay. Angel Di Maria found the back of the net within the first 10 minutes of the fixture but aside from that one moment of brilliance, Argentina was rather toothless in the final third.

In fact, The White and Sky Blues weren’t great against Peru on Matchday 12 in October either, with their attack really struggling to muster up opportunities. The South American standouts managed just two shots on goal, with Lautaro Martinez’s breathtaking header just before the halftime whistle proving to be the difference-maker.

Having Messi back in the starting XI against Brazil will absolutely give them a boost, but breaking through their opponent’s backline won’t be an easy task. Selecao has conceded a mere four times in 12 qualifiers thus far, the lowest total on the continent. But if there’s a strike duo to create some havoc, it’s Messi and Martinez. They’ve already combined for 11 goals and three assists in qualifying.

Flawless Brazil

Since falling to Argentina in South America’s ultimate competition a few months ago, Brazil has looked absolutely phenomenal. Tite’s side is a mind-boggling 11-1-0 in the WCQ, firing home 27 goals in the process. Although they’ve already secured a berth in Qatar, this is one of the biggest rivalries in international football and a game where the Brazilians will be looking for revenge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_N3iVAszq4

Canarinho was kept at bay by Colombia last Thursday for the first 70 minutes before Lucas Paqueta broke the deadlock with a fine finish on a wonderful team goal. Brazil had a lot of chances to seal a much more convincing result, but Colombian keeper David Ospina was fantastic in between the sticks, making numerous saves.

34 points from a possible 36 is hard to comprehend, but Tite’s group is truly in the form of their lives right now. The squad possesses boatloads of depth and with the recent emergence of Ajax standout Antony and Leeds star Raphinha, it’s making life even tougher on the Brazilian gaffer with numerous options up top.

Neymar will miss Brazil's game against Argentina with a thigh injury 😔 pic.twitter.com/Fov7kffM3W

— GOAL (@goal) November 15, 2021

Neymar will miss out on this clash with his club teammate Messi on Wednesday however due to injury, which means in-form Vinicius Junior could get a start. Casemiro is also unavailable due to numerous bookings, with Fabinho or Fred likely to fill in for the Real Madrid midfielder.

Argentina vs Brazil Key Stats

Argentina vs Brazil Prediction

Both of these teams are rock solid at the back but also have no shortage of firepower in the final third. That being said, there’s never a lot of goals scored in this fixture. Brazil already has two feet in for the 2022 World Cup, while Argentina can potentially secure their spot on Wednesday with a draw or win, depending on results elsewhere. However, I expect the points to be shared in San Juan. The Under also holds value because it has been hit in the last two meetings.

Pick: Draw (+225), Under 2.5 Goals (-180)