Guido Rodríguez emerging as Balerdi’s replacement for Argentina’s 2026 World Cup squad | OneFootball

Guido Rodríguez is emerging as the leading candidate to replace Leonardo Balerdi in Argentina’s 2026 World Cup squad after the defender was ruled out with a right soleus tear. The Valencia midfielder, a World Cup winner in Qatar 2022, is ahead of other options, though Lionel Scaloni has not yet confirmed the choice.

According to Agencia Noticias Argentinas, Scaloni will wait for tonight’s friendly against Iceland to assess his squad’s fitness, then decide who will join the Argentina camp in Kansas City.

While another centre-back initially seemed the obvious swap, the staff consider the backline covered by Cristian Romero, Nicolás Otamendi, Lisandro Martínez and Facundo Medina. Medina can operate at left-back as well as centrally.

In midfield, Rodríguez has moved to the front because Leandro Paredes is still recovering from a muscle tear. The group lacks another natural holding midfielder of similar profile, beyond the tactical tweaks Scaloni could use.

The former River, Betis and West Ham player has not featured in an Argentina squad since September 2024. He has remained active and recently regained prominence at Valencia with regular minutes at the end of the season.

Máximo Perrone and Emiliano Buendía are also under consideration, but they trail Rodríguez at this stage. Scaloni has indicated the decision will not go past Wednesday.

Source: SuperDepor.com