Last chance for Messi and Argentina

Last chance for Messi and Argentina to make it to the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia, when they will face Ecuador in a must win game tomorrow (Wednesday).

On Wednesday, they are away to Ecuador at the dreaded altitude of Quito, conditions they despise. A win will guarantee a play-off place and might even send them automatically to Russia, but a draw will leave them reliant on other results and a defeat will eliminate them.

Ecuador have lost their past five qualifiers and are already eliminated - but Argentina have not beaten them in Quito since 2001.

The former World cup winners are currently standing at sixth spot at the points table with top four teams will earn a direct spot in Russia while a fifth-placed spot will mean a two-legged play-off with New Zealand next month.

As things stand, those two matches would take place in Wellington on November 8 with the return in Buenos Aires on November 15.

There is, then, a real danger that Argentina, Lionel Messi and all, will be missing from the 2018 World Cup.