Scaloni settles on the XI and could repeat a Qatar ritual | OneFootball

The countdown is nearing its end, and Lionel Scaloni will speak again. This Monday, between 4:30 and 5 p.m. (Argentina time), the Argentina national team coach will hold a key press conference ahead of the World Cup debut against Algeria, scheduled for Tuesday at 10 p.m., where he is expected to clear up some of the questions still hovering over the team.

The coach will appear alongside a player whose name has not yet been revealed. And, as happened in Qatar 2022, when Lionel Messi joined him at the press conference before the opening match against Saudi Arabia, many are wondering whether the captain will sit next to him again, as a kind of good-luck ritual that could be repeated four years later.

Beyond that detail, all eyes will be on the football-related updates. After a preparation period marked by injuries and some physical setbacks, the national team heads into the start of its title defense with a much more encouraging outlook, both mentally and medically.

Scaloni will hold a press conference ahead of the debut. (AFA)

The only confirmed absence for the debut will be Nicolás Tagliafico. The left back suffered a soleus injury in his left leg and will miss, at the very least, the match against Algeria. The coaching staff still hope to have him back for the second Group J match, against Austria, although everything will depend on his recovery. That is why another issue that will surely come up at the press conference is the condition of the former Independiente player and the timeline being considered for his return.

The team’s doubts and Scaloni’s tests

In Saturday’s training session, the coach tried out different alternatives and left some questions open ahead of the opener. The first test was with a 4-4-2 and a back line made up of Gonzalo Montiel, Cristian Romero, Nicolás Otamendi and Lisandro Martínez. Later on, the coach shuffled the pieces: Facundo Medina came on to take the left-back spot, and the one who made way was Cuti.

The center-back pairing, in fact, appears to be one of the biggest questions. Right now there are three names for two spots: Romero, Otamendi and Lisandro Martínez. However, the possibility of all three playing is not ruled out either, with the Manchester United defender positioned on the left, a role he has already filled on other occasions for Argentina.

As a more distant alternative, Scaloni also tried a five-man defense, with Giuliano Simeone and Nicolás González as wing-backs, an option that could appear at certain moments of the World Cup.

Just hours before its World Cup debut, the national team seems to have put behind it the physical turbulence of recent weeks and arrives in good spirits. Now it will be Scaloni’s turn to break the silence and begin playing the match before the debut.

Argentina’s probable lineup vs. Algeria

Emiliano Martínez; Nahuel Molina or Gonzalo Montiel, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martínez, Facundo Medina; Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández, Thiago Almada; Lionel Messi and Lautaro Martínez. Coach: Lionel Scaloni.

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