Lionel Messi putting Argentina’s World Cup hopes on his back

They sit sixth in the qualification table and must be in the top four to progress straight to Russian Federation, while a fifth-place finish will seem them face an inter-confederation play-off. Five of those teams control their own destiny.

Do you think Argentina can still qualify for the 2018 World Cup? [It’s} the biggest performance of our three-years together and if we can deliver that, then we have a chance.

Here, we take a look at some other greats who missed out on playing in previous World Cups.

Brazil has already qualified with 38 points.

The European champion already had a superior goal difference and needed a win by any score to top the group.

“We should help him be in a the World Cup”.

This Tuesday, October 10, 2017 (4:30 PM Pacific) Ecuador will host Argentina at the Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa for a match in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers.

Twenty-eight years after the United States ended a four-decade World Cup absence with a stunning victory at Trinidad, the Americans’ chances for the 2018 tournament in Russian Federation ended on this island nation off the coast of Venezuela in even more astonishing fashion. It’s not gonna happen – Luis Suarez is going to the World Cup. “He’s the best player in history. They played a brilliant match”. Anything else and it gets complicated.

Chile can also reach an automatic berth, or a playoff, with a loss. “We should not be staying home for this World Cup and I take the responsibility for that”.

In that doomsday scenario, it would depend on the result of the Peru-Colombia result as to whether Chile finished fifth or sixth.

Argentina are clear favourites to win this match, at 4/9 with Bet365.

Paraguay are also just about in the mix as well…

Argentina is in danger of missing its first World Cup since 1970 — nearly a half-century ago.

Arguably the most gripping of Tuesday’s qualifiers was Peru’s home clash with Colombia at Lima’s Estadio Nacional. Los Cafeteros are in for sure with a win.

Game on. A win would surely put Argentina through with 28 points, barring some unforeseen results elsewhere in South America.

If Colombia loses to Peru, they’ll be in trouble.

The worry for Argentina is that they have not won in Ecuador for 16 years.

“There was some fear of missing the World Cup”.

Messi had not been at his best in Argentina’s stuttering campaign and failed to score in their previous three drawn qualifiers, which had left them in sixth place and out of the qualifying berths for Russian Federation heading into Tuesday’s game.

“Messi doesn’t owe a World Cup to Argentina – football owes a World Cup to Messi”, said Sampaoli. The Albiceleste have now scored only once in their past four qualifying games.

Ecuador continued to press in search of an equaliser as Argentina failed to kill the game off, allowing the home side to attack well into the second half.

Argentina drew with Peru on Friday to leave them a point off the top four.

It’s all in Argentina’s hands.

“The nationality of the best player in the world is luckily Argentine”.

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Unfortunately for Paraguay, it may not be enough.