Lionel Messi To Lead Argentina’s Title Defence
Lionel Messi will lead Argentina to the FIFA World Cup in a bid to defend their crown and become the first team to win back-to-back championships since Brazil in 1962.
Scaloni Announces 26-Man Strong La Albiceleste Squad
Lionel Scaloni, Manager of La Albiceleste ( The White & Sky Blue), announced a 26-man strong squad yesterday and expressed his confidence in his team to go all the way and win their fourth World Cup ( 1978,1986,2022).
A Wounded Roster
The squad is a good one, with 17 players retained from the winning 2022 squad. However, the roster appears more wounded than fit, with several key players racing against time to be available before the campaign begins.
Messi Down With Injury Is A Big Concern
Lionel Messi suffered a hamstring injury a week ago during his MLS match against Philadelphia. The great Champion, who, like Cristiano Ronaldo, shall be appearing in a record 6th World Cup, was in sublime form, but the injury has come at the wrong time for him and his team. Scaloni, however, has expressed his confidence in Messi’s full recovery before the tournament begins.
A Few More Warriors Are Injured Too
Emi Martinez, who played a significant role in Argentina’s success four years ago, has an injured finger and is in rehab, fighting to don the gloves for the tournament. Cristian Romero, Nahuel Molina and Gonzalo Montiel are also on the injured list and at various stages of recovery.
Scaloni Has Played Safe
The core of the team has been maintained by Scaloni, and though I was expecting Buendia ( Aston Villa) and Real Madrid’s teenager Franco Mastantuono to make the cut, Scaloni has played it safe.
The Team
Goalkeepers : Emiliano Martinez, Geronimo Rulli, Juan Musso.
Defenders : Gonzalo Montiel, Nahuel Molina, Lisandro Martínez, Nicolás Otamendi, Leonardo Balerdi, Cristian Romero, Nicolás Tagliafico, Facundo Medina.
Midfielders : Giovani Lo Celso, Leandro Paredes, Rodrigo De Paul, Exequiel Palacios, Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister, Valentín Barco.
Forwards: Lionel Messi, Nicolas Gonzalez, Giuliano Simeone, Lautaro Martinez, Jose Manuel Lopez, Julian Alvarez, Thiago Almada, Nico Paz.
La Albiceleste Have An Easy Group To Fend
The Albiceleste are drawn in Group J alongside Algeria, Jordan and Austria. With due respect to the other teams in Group J, Argentina should have it easy as the defending Champions start their campaign against Algeria on June 16 at Kansas City. They play Austria next on June 22 at the Dallas Stadium in Texas, and then complete group engagements against debutants Jordan on June 27 in Texas as well.
Messi needs to get fit in time to give Argentina the much-needed boost.
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