Otamendi’s Argentina start leaves Benfica worried | OneFootball

Nicolás Otamendi is expected to start in the friendly between Argentina and Puerto Rico. Based on the latest information, the Benfica center-back should return to Lionel Scaloni’s options after being left out of the previous match. If this scenario is confirmed, it further complicates the situation of the number 30 when he returns to the Luz.

According to Tuesday’s edition of Record, the captain of the Eagles will play in a friendly preparing for the World Cup. This situation ends up being unfortunate news for Benfica, since they had hoped to count on a fresh Otamendi, given that the Argentine is already arriving later than initially expected.

Called up to join the national team for two friendlies—one against Venezuela, where he did not come off the bench, and another against Puerto Rico. The match against the Puerto Ricans was supposed to take place yesterday, October 12; however, the U.S. authorities decided to change the date and the game was rescheduled for today at 3:00 p.m., Portugal mainland time.

The last-minute change ended up disrupting Benfica’s plans, since they will only be able to count on the Argentine from October 15. However, it remains uncertain whether the number 30 will return in time to be present at Wednesday’s training session, or if he will only join the rest of the team on the eve of the match against Chaves.

Signed from Manchester City in 2020, the defender has since been one of Benfica’s key figures. In the current season, Nicolás Otamendi—currently valued at 1 million euros—has played every minute of all 15 matches. In the 1,350 minutes he has been on the pitch, the Argentine has delivered several high-level performances.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.