Lo Celso’s comeback: could play first World Cup minutes v Jordan | OneFootball

The Argentine National Team will wrap up its Group J campaign this Saturday at 11 p.m. against Jordan. The match could carry unforgettable emotional weight for Giovani Lo Celso, who has a strong chance of officially making his World Cup debut, either as a starter or coming off the bench.

The 30-year-old midfielder is in a very particular situation alongside goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli: both are part of the squad of 26 and have been called up for previous World Cups, but they still have not played a single minute on the field in this tournament.

Unlike the current Olympique de Marseille goalkeeper, the midfielder who came through at Rosario Central was called up by Jorge Sampaoli for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The paradox of that experience was that, despite his strong performances beforehand and Argentina’s difficult run of form, the coach never used him as an option.

The bad luck with football’s biggest stage continued in Qatar 2022. Although he was a key piece throughout Lionel Scaloni’s entire cycle, Lo Celso was left out of the final squad at the last moment because of a tear in the biceps femoris of his right leg. As for Rulli’s case (a product of Estudiantes de La Plata), it follows the usual logic of backup goalkeepers. In Qatar, every minute was covered by Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez, who is expected to start again against the Asian side.

With Argentina already through to the round of 16 as group leader, Lo Celso is looking to build on the positive impressions he left in this year’s warm-up friendlies. If Scaloni decides not to start him in midfield, his place in the starting lineup will be taken by Valentín Barco.

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