Balerdi, Senesi and Medina step up for Argentina after Cuti Romero injury | OneFootball

Two months before the start of the World Cup, Cristian Romero’s injury, which forced him to leave the field against Tottenham, set off alarm bells for the Argentina national team. This Monday, the news that he is suffering from a lateral ligament injury in his right leg that will only require between six and eight weeks of recovery brought some relief. Even so, he will arrive just in time for the opener, so the coaching staff has Leonardo Balerdi as the main option, while Marcos Senesi and Facundo Medina are fighting for a place on the roster.

As reported by TyC Sports, coach Lionel Scaloni has already settled on 22 of the 26 names that will represent the world champion at the biggest tournament, and despite this setback, Cuti will be on the final list. However, his inactivity gives those who were behind him a chance to gain ground. First of all, Balerdi has a better shot at competing for a starting place at the beginning of the World Cup if the coaching staff chooses not to risk the Tottenham man, who would arrive at the June 16 opener against Algeria with very little playing time. In addition, he is the only remaining right-footed center back (not counting Otamendi).

Further back, the former San Lorenzo defender and the player with a past at Talleres de Córdoba emerge as the main options to take the spot of the fifth center back traveling to Kansas to be one of the alternatives, since Juan Foyth ruptured his Achilles tendon in January and was ruled out. So far, the picture is as follows: besides Cuti, a lock for the squad, everything indicates that Nicolás Otamendi, Lisandro Martínez, and Balerdi will be called up. A fifth center back would join them.

The one with the best chance of making the tournament, which will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, is Senesi, who is 28 and plays for Bournemouth in the Premier League. The Entre Ríos native joined the English club in mid-2022 from Feyenoord and established himself as a starter in central defense. He is also one of the vice-captains when leader Adam Smith is absent.

This season, Senesi has played 33 matches, only two as a substitute, and missed just one game due to yellow-card accumulation. He was also called up for the Albiceleste’s most recent friendly tours and most recently started in the 2-1 win over Mauritania at La Bombonera, a match in which he played 61 minutes.

Meanwhile, Medina, who partners Balerdi in Olympique de Marseille’s back line, is another option but appears to be further behind. His last call-up to the national team dates back to June of last year for the qualifiers, when he started at left back in the 1-1 draw against Colombia. Since then, he has not been called up again, and a sprain kept him out of the October FIFA window.

At the French club, which he joined in mid-2025 on loan after an outstanding spell at Lens, Medina played 22 matches because of the ankle injury, but once recovered he established himself as a starter. The advantage he has, and the reason he has been a recurring option for Scaloni in the past, is that he can play both as a center back and as a fullback. With the Albiceleste he has played seven matches, compared to the three Senesi has. The final center back called up for the World Cup will come from those two.

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