Argentina - Uruguay

This is the first Argentina squad of the post Messi era and it looks every bit like a rebuild. Messi and Otamendi have retired, Lautaro Martinez and Cristian Romero are injured, and a couple of the regular midfield names were left out of the party altogether. Scaloni has filled the gaps with young players, one of them in for a first senior call up. That is a group that will need time to settle rather than one that blows a good side away. Uruguay arrive in transition too, with an interim in charge after the end of the previous regime, so neither team is going to be fluent on Friday night. And look at what these two actually produce when they meet. Argentina have kept a clean sheet in four of the last five meetings and the most recent one finished 1-0. La Bombonera is tight and loud and these fixtures tend to be scrappy rather than open. Argentina have been scoring freely in recent friendlies, but that came against far weaker opposition and with Messi still on the pitch. Uruguay have serious defenders and a midfield that does not hand the ball over cheaply. Backing the under is the honest read on two sides who are both still working out who they are, and the quarter line leaves a little cover if a late second goal does arrive.