Chile may have received a boost ahead of their crunch World Cup qualifying match against Argentina, with Alexis Sanchez reportedly fit to play.

The star striker scored in Arsenal's 3-1 Premier League defeat to West Brom on Saturday but had to be substituted in the second half after finding himself on the wrong end of a heavy James McClean tackle.

Gunners manager Arsene Wenger delivered a grim initial prognosis, claiming the forward's ankle had been left in an "absolutely terrible state". 

But the 28-year-old former Barcelona player has nevertheless travelled to South America for his country's matches away to Argentina and at home to Venezuela.

And a report in El Grafico claims a member of the Chile national team's medical staff has declared that Sanchez is likely to be fit to take on Edgardo Bauza's side in Buenos Aires on Thursday.

Copa America holders Chile occupy the fourth and final automatic qualifying spot in the CONMEBOL group.

Argentina are a point below them in fifth place, a berth which would require the mighty Albiceleste, beaten finalists against Germany at the previous World Cup in Brazil in 2014, to suffer the indignity of negotiating the inter-confederation play-offs if they are to reach the finals in Russia next year.