Argentina coach Diego Maradona has called on God's hand to shield the South American country from World Cup elimination.

'The Beard (God) saved me many times, I hope he saves me this time too,' said Maradona.

Argentina are fifth in the South American group, in the berth for a playoff against the team finishing fourth in the CONCACAF region. The top four go through automatically.

They face Peru and Uruguay in their final qualifiers next month, looking to at least remain where they are as they try to avoid missing the finals for the first time since 1970.