Argentina, beaten 6-1 by Bolivia at 3,600 meters (11,811 feet) above sea level in April, faces another high-altitude World Cup qualifier in Ecuador on Wednesday. Coach Diego Maradona appeared to underestimate the effects of the altitude against Bolivia. The result marked the team’s heaviest defeat in 15 years and Lionel Messi was among players who admitted afterward that he could not cope with the conditions.
The failings of Maradona’s team were put into perspective on Saturday when Venezuela beat Bolivia 1-0 in La Paz after making painstaking preparations, including three weeks’ training at altitude. Quito, at 2,800 meters, is not as extreme as La Paz. But Ecuador, unlike Bolivia, has qualified for the last two World Cups and is still in the hunt for a place in South Africa.
Maradona has said that he will be less adventurous against a hungry Ecuadorian team. “We’re going to have to take refuge and play on the counterattack,” he said. Captain Javier Mascherano is suspended while forward Sergio Aguero is injured. Maradona may also rest Messi to avoid the risk of Messi getting a second yellow card that would rule him out of the following game at home to Brazil in September. Argentina sits fourth in the South American qualifying standings, five points above both Uruaguay and Ecuador. The top four in the 10-team group qualify directly for South Africa and the fifth play off against the fourth-place Concacaf finisher.