Combined XI: Brazil vs. Argentina

Argentina visits Belo Horizonte on Thursday for a pivotal World Cup qualifying clash with rival Brazil, and both Canarinho boss Tite and his La Albiceleste counterpart Edgardo Bauza face a squad selection headache that's the envy of many gaffers.

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The similarities between the sides are distinct: plenty of depth up front paired with questions at the back and in net. For Argentina, Juventus star Paulo Dybala will miss out, while Bauza has already said Sergio Aguero will not start.

In their absences, Lionel Messi and Dybala's Old Lady mate Gonzalo Higuain will shoulder the brunt of the attacking responsibilities, with Paris Saint-Germain's Angel Di Maria and Valencia's Enzo Perez manning the wings.

For Brazil, Neymar, Manchester City stud Gabriel Jesus, and Liverpool's in-form Roberto Firmino will fill similar positions, while early favourite for Premier League Player of the Year Philippe Coutinho will sit deeper in a creative role.

It's hard to argue over a deep-lying midfield tandem of Javier Mascherano and Fernandinho, while the back four is dominated by Tite's squad. Dani Alves and Marcelo are easily preferred to San Lorenzo's Emmanuel Mas and City's Pablo Zabaleta in full-back roles, while Nicolas Otamendi narrowly edges Marquinhos' PSG brethren Thiago Silva and Chelsea's David Luiz.

With that in mind, here's a look at the combined Starting XI for the rivals:

GK: Sergio Romero (Argentina/Manchester United)

DF: Dani Alves (Brazil/Juventus) , Nicolas Otamendi (Manchester City), Marquinhos (Brazil/Paris Saint-Germain), Marcelo (Brazil/Real Madrid)

MF: Javier Mascherano (Barcelona/Argentina), Fernandinho (Brazil/Manchester City), Philippe Countinho (Brazil/Liverpool)

FW: Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona), Gonzalo Higuain (Argentina/Juventus), Neymar (Brazil/Barcelona)

With both sides blessed with depth, especially in attacking positions, several players who star for their clubs narrowly miss out on making this hypothetical team sheet.

Here's a look at those who missed the starting XI:

Heading into the match, Brazil sits atop the CONMEBOL standings with eight matches to play, while Argentina languishes in sixth, at 16 points - five adrift of its rival. While it's a massive fixture for both sides, Argentina will be desperate for a result to keep pace with Chile and Colombia.

Prediction: Brazil 2, Argentina 1