Argentina and Chile will face off in a major battle of the titans in the CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers.

The Rematch

This is a rematch of the 2015 Copa America final, which saw the Chileans edge out Argentina on penalties, effectively ending yet another big opportunity for Lionel Messi to walk away with a major piece of international silverware.

This match means a tremendous amount to Messi. The superstar has simply struggled in these qualifiers to this point. Without a single goal through four games for Argentina, he has been called out early and often about his form for his national club. The stakes have never been higher.

Entering the match on Thursday, Argentina is at a disadvantage for qualification spots, but that gap could get bigger if the team fails to perform in big matches.

None could be bigger for the Barcelona star than this one with Chile. Chile is two points ahead of Argentina and are playing at home, making them the favorites to pull this game out. A win for Chile puts them a full five points ahead of Argentina in the race. If everything falls the wrong way for Los Che, then Messi and company could be as much as four points out of a qualification spot by the end of Thursday and could fall as low as eighth place in the standings. A loss is simply not an option.

A win, however, changes the dynamic completely, as it puts them above Chile and ensures that Argentina, at worse, remain in the final qualification spot by the end of the match day.

Chile has not been at its best since opening its qualification journey with a resounding win over Brazil at home. Since then, the team's defense has been suspect at best and catastrophic at worst, as evidenced in the 3-0 loss at Uruguay.

Certain players simply have to step up in this game, especially Alexis Sanchez, who despite a strong start to the campaign has disappeared in the two most recent qualifiers.

Prediction

This game will pit an ineffective offense against a defense that has been shambolic. Fans should anticipate a high scoring game that finally sees Messi get on the goal scoring sheet. Argentina wins 3-2 and avoids a disastrous situation heading into next week's matches.

Start Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

The game can be viewed on beIN Sports with a subscription.

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