Scaloni promises Benfica star the experience of a lifetime | OneFootball

After heaping praise on Nicolás Otamendi, Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni confirmed that, in the absence of Lionel Messi, the Benfica center back will be the captain of the albiceleste, as a form of gratitude, in what is the defender's last qualifying match for the World Cup.

"Otamendi is a reference for this national team and is a very important player for us. Tomorrow he will be the team captain", admitted the albiceleste coach, assuring that Lionel Messi, the usual captain, will not be on the field.

As for the World Cup, Scaloni was straightforward: "I don't have a definitive list of players for the World Cup. We are still far away and many things can happen. When they tell us how many players can go, we will make the decisions. I haven't spoken to Leo (Messi) about the next World Cup. I know he will take everything calmly and that any decision he makes will be the right one".

Argentina faces Ecuador, in Guayaquil, at 00:00 on Wednesday, September 10th. The match marks the end of Otamendi's journey in the qualifiers, at a time when the center back will, at the end of the international commitments, return to Benfica.

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