The reigning World Cup champions went ahead in the 11th minute through Lautaro Martinez, but two unanswered goals by the hosts gave Argentina its third loss of their qualifying campaign.
Lionel Scaloni’s squad currently boast a record of seven wins, one draw and three losses, topping the CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying standings with 22 points.
Peru, meanwhile, are loitering near the bottom of the table, with only one win in 11 games, while struggling with a -11 goal differential. The Peruvians settled for a 0-0 draw with Chile last week, and have only scored three goals in qualifying so far.
Peru missed out on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, last qualifying for the tournament in 2018, where they failed to advance past the group stage.
Peru head coach Jorge Fossati should field an identical squad to the one that drew with Chile last time out, with national team captain Paolo Guerrero leading the front line for his 123rd cap at 40 years old.
La Rojiblanca have recently employed a three-back formation, with wing-backs Luis Advincula and Andy Polo providing the width.
La Scalonetta’s usual center-back duo of Cristian Romero and Lisandro MartÃnez will miss out on the clash with Peru after suffering injuries last week.
Marseille defender Leonardo Balerdi will likely get the start alongside veteran Nicolas Otamendi.
Otherwise, Argentina’s lineup should look similar to the one that fell to Paraguay on Thursday. Messi is in line to make his 191st appearance for his country and add to the six goals he’s scored in qualifying so far. Julian Alvarez will likely start out wide, with Inter Milan star Lautaro Martinez playing as the lone striker.
