Lionel Messi and Alexis Sanchez may miss out on World Cup 2018

Argentina and Chile both face defining World Cup Qualifiers over the next seven days that will determine whether Lionel Messi and Alexis Sanchez feature for their respective countries at next summer's tournament in Russia.

Fifth-placed Argentina host fourth-in-the-table Peru in Buenos Aires on October 6, before a tricky-looking final game at altitude in Ecuador five days later.

Meanwhile Chile, currently sitting sixth in the CONMEBOL standings, take on eighth-placed Ecuador in Santiago on Friday and Juan Antonio Pizzi's side then complete their qualifying campaign with a daunting trip to already-qualified Brazil on October 11.


Only the top four teams in the group automatically make it to Russia 2018, with the side in fifth facing a two-legged play-off against Oceania winners New Zealand in November.

However, given their recent patchy form, neither the 2014 World Cup finalists nor the reigning Copa America champions will be confident of competing at the global showpiece event.

Argentina - who sit fourth in the latest FIFA world rankings - head into their key double header having won just two of their last nine qualifiers and in danger of missing out on a World Cup finals for the first time since 1970.


Jorge Sampaoli's side were grateful to a second-half own goal that helped them steal a 1-1 draw against already-eliminated Venezuela in the Argentina capital last time out.

But with the two-time World Cup winners having managed only 16 goals so far in qualifying, the second worst in South America and fewer than even defensive-minded Paraguay have scored, the pressure is once again on Messi to deliver.

Sampaoli - Argentina's third coach already in qualifying after Gerardo Martino and Edgardo Bauza - is expected to keep faith with his eye-catching front three of Messi, Paulo Dybala and Mauro Icardi against Peru on Friday.

"It's difficult to remove this 'Messi-dependency' from a team when Leo is there. When you know you have the best player you will always look toward him," Sampaoli said.

However, Sampaoli will be praying that his forwards are more clinical than they were in their last qualifier against Venezuela, when wasteful finishing in the first half was to blame for two costly dropped points.

"We have two games left against Peru and Ecuador and we need to win both of them," Sampaoli said after his team were held at home by the bottom side in the section.



CONMEBOL standings

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Brazil (Q)	16	11	4	1	38	11	+27	37
Uruguay	16	8	3	5	28	18	+10	27
Colombia	16	7	5	4	19	16	+3	26
Peru	16	7	3	6	26	25	+1	24
Argentina	16	6	6	4	16	15	+1	24
Chile	16	7	2	7	24	23	+1	23
Paraguay	16	6	3	7	17	23	-6	21
Ecuador	16	6	2	8	24	24	0	20
Bolivia (E)	16	4	1	11	14	34	-20	13
Venezuela (E)	16	1	5	10	18	35	-17	8

Source: Sky Sports