A faltering campaign has left Argentina fifth in the standings with three games remaining, just outside the top four spots which guarantee automatic entry to next year’ s finals in Russia.
It would still take a dramatic sequence of results for the unthinkable — a World Cup without Argentina and Messi — to become reality.
Chile turmoil –
Despite the nervyness of Argentina ’ s campaign , their fans can console themselves by the thought that Chile have hardly been any more convincing.
The South American champions owe their fourth place in the table to a FIFA sanction which converted a 0 -0 home draw with Bolivia into a 3 -0 win after the Bolivians fielded an ineligible player.
The Chileans face Bolivia again on Tuesday in La Paz, an awkward tie at altitude even if their opponents , who are already eliminated, have little to play for .
Chile’ s faltering qualification campaign suffered a fresh jolt last week with an abject 3 -0 home defeat to Paraguay in Santiago.
The Chileans , who clinched back -to-back Copa America titles in 2015 and 2016, have been beset by turmoil, with Arsenal’ s Alexis Sanchez struggling to find his best form and captain Arturo Vidal raging at his media critics .
Vidal, who scored a spectacular headed own goal in the loss to Paraguay , took to Twitter to vent his frustration after the loss, even hinting that he may quit the national team.
“I’ m sure all the critics are happy now, ” Vidal wrote. “ But don’ t worry , each time I’ m closer to leaving . ”
It was left to Chile coach Juan Antonio Pizzi to strike a defiant note as his team head to La Paz, insisting that his squad would rediscover the attacking vigour that won them their Copa America crowns .
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