Decision on Tuesday: HSV's Capaldo can hope for the World Cup | OneFootball

Actually, the situation seemed clear: HSV would be represented by three players at the World Cup in North America, which is set to begin shortly.

The players in question are Miro Muheim (Switzerland), Sander Tangvik (Norway), and Luka Vuskovic (Croatia), who remains under contract with the Rothosen until June 30. After that, the Croatian center-back’s loan spell will end and he is set to return to parent club Tottenham Hotspur.

But a fourth HSV professional may still jump on the World Cup train. Nicolas Capaldo currently has a pretty decent chance. After being called up to Argentina’s preliminary 55-man squad, the 27-year-old initially missed out on the final World Cup roster.

Now, however, Capaldo could benefit from the reigning champions’ significant injury concerns. With Gonzalo Montiel, Leandro Paredes, and Nico Paz among those carrying knocks, national team coach Lionel Scaloni is, according to Argentine media reports, considering various scenarios for possible call-ups. Capaldo is seen in particular as a candidate for the role of backup right-back to Montiel.

Photo: Getty Images

HSV leader Capaldo gets another chance against Iceland

The biggest opening, however, has likely come through the loss of Leonardo Balerdi. The center-back, who played for Borussia Dortmund between 2019 and 2020, suffered a muscle injury in his right calf a few days ago during team training. It is already clear that Balerdi will be unavailable for the entire duration of the World Cup.

For that reason, World Cup-winning coach Scaloni has to make at least one change to the Albiceleste squad. However, the 48-year-old does not want to rush anything. “The replacement has not yet been decided. We still have one game left to assess the situation and gather more information, so we will not make any hasty decisions,” Scaloni explained after the 2-0 friendly win over Honduras, making it clear: “We will wait until Tuesday before making a decision.”

By German time, that decision will actually come a day later, as Argentina face Iceland on the night from Tuesday to Wednesday in their final warm-up match. Scaloni is therefore giving his replacement candidates another opportunity to draw attention to themselves. That should also apply to Capaldo, who made his international debut against Honduras and spent ten minutes on the pitch.

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