Argentina's Lionel Messi (R) runs next to teammate Emiliano Rigoni during a training session in Ezeiza, Buenos Aires, on October 8, 2017, two days ahead of their FIFA 2018 World Cup qualifier match against Ecuador, to be held in Quito. - AFP
Quito (AFP) - Lionel Messi and Argentina will be fighting for their World Cup lives on Tuesday as the South American heavyweights take on Ecuador aiming to avoid a humiliating failure to qualify for next year's finals in Russia.
The eyes of the football world will turn to Quito's Estadio Olimpico Atahualpa to see if the once unthinkable prospect of a World Cup without Messi is to become a stunning reality.
