Tagliafico on Argentina's challenge: ‘Everyone wants us’ | OneFootball

Nicolás Tagliafico spoke on Monday about the Argentina national team’s participation in the 2026 World Cup, which will begin for La Albiceleste next Tuesday against Algeria. And he did not hesitate to refer to what lies ahead, together with the responsibility of showing up as the defending champion.

“Playing this World Cup as champions is something very special for us. To feel again what it’s like to play in a World Cup and be there, but this time defending the trophy, is something different for me,” the defender admitted.

“I’ve had the chance to play in World Cups, but this time everyone is going to want to beat us, and that feeling of having to defend the title is something unique,” he said bluntly on DSports about the approach their rivals will take.

“Managing that pressure, defending the title is not easy, but we have very experienced players who know very well what it means to defend this jersey and play in a World Cup,” said the Olympique Lyon left-back, confident in Argentina’s resources.

After starting against Honduras and being brought down for the controversial penalty that Lautaro Martínez converted to set the team on the way to a 2-0 win, it is quite possible that Lionel Scaloni will give Tagliafico a rest in this Tuesday’s second friendly against Iceland, since he finished the match fatigued.

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