Do Julián and Nico González come in? Scaloni's two doubts for Austria

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·20 de junio de 2026

Do Julián and Nico González come in? Scaloni's two doubts for Austria

The Argentina National Team completed another training session at the Compass Minerals National Performance Center in Kansas, focused on the crucial clash next Monday at 2:00 p.m. against Austria in Dallas, for the second matchday of Group J at the World Cup. Unlike previous days, head coach Lionel Scaloni ordered Saturday’s practice to be held strictly behind closed doors in order to fine-tune the tactical details.

The focus of the day was on Gonzalo Montiel’s physical progress. After raising concerns, the right back showed notable improvement, trained on the field in boots alongside the group, and managed to clear up the biggest doubts. Although Nahuel Molina is shaping up as the starter on the flank, the minor nature of Montiel’s issue will allow him to be on the bench against the Europeans and even be at 100% for the third match against Jordan.

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The two tactical doubts the coach is weighing

With the core of the team consolidated after the emphatic 3-0 win in the opener against Algeria, Scaloni is considering introducing two strategic changes to counter the intense high press used by the Austrian side:

On the wings: Nicolás González has a strong chance of entering the starting lineup in place of Thiago Almada, providing greater explosiveness to attack the space behind the opposing defense.
Up front: The battle for the center-forward spot is back on, with Julián Álvarez pushing hard to take the starting role away from Lautaro Martínez.

The core that remains and those awaiting their debut

The rest of the starting structure would not undergo any changes compared to the World Cup opener. Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez will guard the goal; Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martínez, and Facundo Medina will complete the back line; while the midfield will once again belong to Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernández, and Alexis Mac Allister. In attack, captain Lionel Messi will once again lead the team as he looks to keep breaking historic records.

Likewise, the coaching staff received good news from the medical department: if they maintain the recovery pace shown in recent hours, both Leandro Paredes and Nicolás Tagliafico will be ready to log their first official minutes in this World Cup.

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