Scaloni's World Cup favourites: «France are one to watch» | OneFootball

Just over 24 hours before the match, Lionel Scaloni assessed how evenly matched the tournament is and named his favorites. “I think France are doing very well right now, and so are Brazil; I saw Mexico play a great match against Ecuador; Colombia are also doing very well; Spain, of course,” he listed. He also warned that “we’re seeing very evenly matched games.”

Speaking about Cape Verde, who finished second in Group H and knocked out Uruguay, Scaloni called for the utmost respect. “It’s a team that hasn’t lost, and even against Saudi Arabia they deserved to win. They defend well, cut off inside passing lanes well, and then break very well on the counterattack,” he explained, insisting that their presence at this stage is no coincidence.

The coach also referred to the home-field factor in Miami, given the large Argentine community and Cape Verde’s small population (500,000). “The Argentine fans have always been a plus. We love the support. For us, it’s a boost, not pressure,” he said, looking ahead to the atmosphere in the stadium.

However, Scaloni voiced concern about the weather and the forecast of 32 degrees with high humidity in the afternoon. “It easily could have been played at night. It’s the same for both teams, but if it’s played in the afternoon, the spectacle obviously won’t be the same,” he complained, recalling the Copa América final against Colombia.

Finally, in the mixed zone, the manager spoke about selecting the starting eleven. Although he did not confirm whether Julián Álvarez or Lautaro Martínez will play, he was emphatic: “I’ve made my decision. I base it on what I believe will work best for the team.” He kept the same secrecy over the left-back spot, where Facundo Medina and the recovered Nicolás Tagliafico are competing.

The positive news of the day came from Cristian Romero. The defender had been carrying a knock to his right knee that kept him out against Jordan, but the coach sounded optimistic about his recovery:

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