Last stop before 2026 World Cup: Scaloni picks XI to face Zambia | OneFootball

The Argentina national team faces its final match this Tuesday before the 2026 World Cup. Lionel Scaloni’s side will take on Zambia in what represents the last chance to fine-tune things ahead of the biggest tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. After the narrow and much-questioned 2-1 win over Mauritania last Friday, the coach appears to have almost completely decided on his starting lineup.

In goal, confidence remains in Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez. The Mar del Plata native will be looking for personal redemption after being highly self-critical of the team’s defensive performance in the last match. To protect the box, Scaloni will lean on nostalgia and reliability, repeating the back line that reached glory in the Qatar 2022 final against France: Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Nicolás Otamendi, and Nicolás Tagliafico.

The coaching staff’s main doubt lies in central midfield. While Enzo Fernández and Alexis Mac Allister have their places secured, the third midfield spot remains up in the air and will be decided at the last moment: Rodrigo De Paul and Leandro Paredes are battling neck and neck for a place in the starting eleven.

In attack comes the news fans were most hoping for: Lionel Messi will start. The captain will be joined by Julián Álvarez and Thiago Almada, who, thanks to their strong performances, seem to have edged out other names to establish themselves as the Albiceleste’s starting forwards in Group J, where Argentina will share a group with Algeria, Austria, and Jordan.

Argentina’s lineup

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