South America World Cup 2022 Qualifiers will resume on Thursday (October 7). All ten CONMEBOL nations will compete in three qualifiers this month. Uruguay will play three tough games this month, including one against Colombia on October 8 (Bangladesh Standard Time), another against Argentina on October 11, and the other against Brazil on October 15. The top four teams in the standings will automatically qualify for the 2022 World Cup. The fifth-placeholder team will have to compete in the Playoffs for a World Cup spot. Let's take a look at the October CONMEBOL World Cup 2022 fixtures.
Predicted Starting XI: Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay
Brazil and Argentina are the only two unbeaten teams In the South America World Cup 2022 Qualifiers. With the exception of Uruguay, both South American heavyweights have relatively easy games in this October international window.
Paulo Dybala was included in Argentina's squad by Coach Lionel Scaloni. However, he was eventually ruled out due to injury. Apart from the clash against Uruguay, Argentina will play Paraguay on October 8 and Peru on October 15. Lionel Messi-led Argentina team is in excellent form after winning the Copa America in July. Scaloni has built the ideal setup for Messi to thrive on the international stage. Argentina will start as favorites in each game in the qualifiers.
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Argentina’s Predicted Starting XI
Emiliano Martinez (Goalkeeper), Cristian Romero, Germán Pezzella, Marcos Acuna, Nicolas Tagliafico, Rodrigo De Paul, Exequiel Palacios, Alejandro Gómez, Angel Di Maria, Lautaro Martinez, Lionel Messi (Captain)
Brazilian Coach Tite has a lot of options to choose the best players from the talented squad. Brazil presently hold an advantage of six-point over Argentina in the point standings, with 24 points. They will play Venezuela on October 8 and Colombia on October 11 before finishing this international window with a match against Uruguay. Neymar is fully fit for the matches, and his creativity in the attacking half will be crucial for Brazil. Like Argentina, the Brazilian team will be the favorite in each of their qualifying matches.
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Brazil’s Predicted Starting XI
Alisson (Goalkeeper), Thiago Silva (Captain), Marquinhos, Danilo, Sandro, Casemiro, Fabinho, Paqueta, Vinícius Júnior, Gabriel Jesus, Neymar
Uruguay's qualifying matches this month are extremely important. They should execute some flawless strategies to overcome Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia. Uruguay may fall behind in the points table if they fail to win a match and jeopardize their chances of qualifying for the World Cup as well. Uruguay have some talented players, but their team spirit is crucial in important games. Therefore, they will have to play as a team in order to defeat tough opponents.
Uruguay’s Predicted Starting XI
Fernando Muslera (Goalkeeper); Diego Godín (Captain), José María Giménez, Ronald Araujo, Matías Viña; Federico Valverde, Matías Vecino, Rodrigo Bentancur, Nahitan Nández; Luis Suárez, Edinson Cavani.
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October 2021 Fixtures for South America World Cup 2022 Qualifiers
A total of 15 CONMEBOL qualifiers will be played in the month of October. Here are the fixtures.
Date |
Fixture |
Time (BST) |
October 8 (Friday) |
Uruguay vs. Colombia |
5 AM |
October 8 (Friday) |
Paraguay vs. Argentina |
5 AM |
October 8 (Friday) |
Venezuela vs. Brazil |
5.30 AM |
October 8 (Friday) |
Ecuador vs. Bolivia |
6.30 AM |
October 8 (Friday) |
Peru vs. Chile |
7 AM |
October 11 (Monday) |
Bolivia vs. Peru |
2 AM |
October 11 (Monday) |
Venezuela vs. Ecuador |
2.30 AM |
October 11 (Monday) |
Colombia vs. Brazil |
3 AM |
October 11 (Monday) |
Argentina vs. Uruguay |
5.30 AM |
October 11 (Monday) |
Chile vs. Paraguay |
6 AM |
October 15 (Friday) |
Bolivia vs. Uruguay |
2 AM |
October 15 (Friday) |
Colombia vs. Ecuador |
3 AM |
October 15 (Friday) |
Argentina vs. Peru |
5.30 AM |
October 15 (Friday) |
Chile vs. Venezuela |
6 AM |
October 15 (Friday) |
Brazil vs. Uruguay |
6.30 AM |
Verdict
Brazil and Argentina are now placed in the first and second positions respectively at the end of eight games in the South America World Cup 2022 Qualifiers. In the qualifiers, each side will play a total of 18 matches. Therefore, all teams still have a chance to advance to the main event.
As per the fixtures, Uruguay have tough games in October as they will be up against the three best teams in the continent. They are presently in third place, with only two points separating them from fourth and fifth place teams. On the other hand, Argentina and Brazil are expected to win their matches and maintain their respective positions in the standings.
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