Argentina vs Uruguay tips and predictions: Messi and co to sink Bielsa’s Celeste

World Cup winners Argentina and bitter rivals Uruguay will clash for the first time since the Qatar World Cup in a CONMEBOL qualifier on Thursday night.

Suggested bets

Argentina to win

Both teams to score: No

Under 2.5 goals

Argentina vs Uruguay verdict

Argentina are currently on a 14-game winning streak and will undoubtedly attempt to surpass their previous record of 30 games without a loss, which they set before the 2022 World Cup.

Lionel Scaloni's side has gone unbeaten for the past year, since their 1-2 loss to Saudi Arabia in their World Cup opener.

The defending world champions started their qualifying campaign with wins over Ecuador (1-0) and Bolivia (3-0).

Argentina won both of their October matches against Paraguay (1-0) and Peru (2-0), scoring all of their goals in the first half.

They now have 12 points and are the leaders of the World Cup qualifiers, five points ahead of Uruguay, Brazil and the surprise package of Venezuela.

Messi’s injury-hit end to the MLS season finished with Inter Miami failing to reach the play-offs, but he’s fighting fit for international duty.

Lautaro Martinez, the current top scorer in Serie A, is the hosts' most in-form attacker.

In contrast, Uruguay were in fine form in October when they defeated Brazil 2-0 at home, with Darwin Nunez and Nicolas de la Cruz scoring the winning goals.

The team led by Marcelo Bielsa has 7 points after 4 rounds, five points behind their opponents. 

Uruguay are coming off a win against Brazil, but they have not been as successful when playing away from home, where they lost to Ecuador and drew with Colombia.

Argentina have won three consecutive matches against Uruguay. The last time Uruguay beat Argentina was in 2013, during the qualifiers for the World Cup in Brazil.

Uruguay have not scored against Argentina in their last three matches, and in six of the previous seven meetings between the two teams, only one team has scored.