Argentina is one of these teams that theoretically really shouldn't struggle to get into the World Cup. Yet with the exception of Brazil, there isn't such a thing as a team that isn't sweating its butt off in the final two rounds of qualifying taking place this week. On Thursday, Argentina will face off with Peru in what is sure to be one of the more meaningful matches in the world on the night.
Don't miss the World Cup Qualifying action from Estadio Alberto J. Armando at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, October 5, 2017. Catch every moment of the match live on beIN Sports.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Argentina -500
Peru +1200
Draw +550
Over/Under 3
Odds Analysis
This is a whole lot of pressure on the Argentines at the moment. They're -500 favorites to win a match that probably have to win if they want to at least have a shot at going to the World Cup. A loss, and they're going to have to win their final match against Ecuador on the road and get a lot of help to even have a shot at going to Russia next year.
A team this good shouldn't be in this spot, and the oddsmakers know it. That's why they're favored by a full two goals in spite of the fact that they can't get out of their own way and have scored an average of just one goal per game across this competition.
Peru, which also badly needs to take something from this fixture to keep its World Cup dream alive, is a 12 to 1 longshot on the moneyline, while the draw would pay off at +550.
How They Got Here
It's hard to figure out how in the heck Argentina got in this spot in the first place. Brazil already has its spot in the World Cup long since locked up, yet supposedly equally-dominant Argentina has already lost at home to Ecuador and Paraguay and drawn at home with a Venezuela team that has secured just two points on the road across this whole round-robin competition.
Peru is technically in front of Argentina at the moment due to the fact that it is 7-3-6 instead of Argentina's 6-6-4. The Peruvians have gone on the road and beaten the teams they should be beating, taking out Paraguay, Ecuador and Bolivia. Securing 10 away points, even if this match is fruitless, is a great accomplishment for a team that figured to ultimately never have a shot of getting into the World Cup.
In the last match between these two in the World Cup qualifying group, nearly a year ago to the date, Peru had to fight off a pair of deficits. Argentina started off hot with a goal from Ramiro Funes Mori, and it took over 40 minutes for Paolo Guerrero to cancel that out. Even then, Gonzalo Higuain appeared to have won it for the Argentines in the 77th minute, but only six minutes later, a penalty sent Christian Cueva to the spot, where he stole a point for the hosts.
Little did we know it at the time, but that goal might ultimately prove to be the difference between these two teams in the quest to get to the World Cup.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
This Peru team is no joke. This team was a semifinalist in Copa America in 2011 and 2015, and it was a quarterfinalist in 2016. Guerrero is a superstar for this outfit, and we know that every time he steps on the pitch, something special could happen.
As far as Argentina? Why should we trust this team? Is there a really good chance that the team comes to play and snares all three points in this match? Sure, there is. But there was a really good chance that happened against Ecuador and Paraguay, too, and we all know how those fixtures ended.
We're going to call for a draw that will really keep these two locked at the hip going into the very last day of qualifying next week.
World Cup Qualifying Odds: Argentina 1, Peru 1
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