With Messi in the squad, Argentina end the year against Angola in Luanda | OneFootball

Lionel Scaloni's team will play their last friendly of 2025 in Africa today, as part of the 50th anniversary of Angolan independence.

The Argentina National Team will face Angola this Friday from 13:00 (Argentine time) at the 11 de Novembro Stadium in Luanda, in the friendly corresponding to the November FIFA Date. The match will be broadcast by Canal 7 of Santiago del Estero.

It will be the last commitment of the year for the Albiceleste, who are preparing for the Finalissima against Spain in March 2026 and will join the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the independence of the African country.

The team led by Lionel Scaloni comes to this match after a double victory on their tour of the United States: 1-0 against Venezuela and 6-0 against Puerto Rico. On this occasion, the coach will face the commitment with several important absences, as Emiliano Martínez was not called up to give other goalkeepers a chance, Enzo Fernández continues with a knee issue, and Julián Álvarez, Nahuel Molina, and Giuliano Simeone will not be able to play as they have not received the yellow fever vaccine, a mandatory requirement to enter Angola.

Among the new additions to the list are young players Joaquín Panichelli, Gianluca Prestianni, Máximo Perrone, and the return of Valentín Barco, while Scaloni decided not to call up players from Argentine football as this weekend the playoffs and qualifications for international cups are being decided. Additionally, the Albiceleste will debut their new World Cup jersey, officially presented a few days ago.

Before the trip, the squad trained in Elche, Spain, and held an open practice at the Manuel Martínez Valero stadium, where more than 20,000 fans cheered for the team. At the end, Lionel Messi received a jersey from the local club with his classic number 10 from businessman Cristian Bragarnik.

For their part, Angola is experiencing an irregular present. The team of Patrice Beaumelle failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, finishing fourth in Group D behind Cape Verde (23) and Cameroon (19), and will seek to end the year with a historic performance against the world champion.

Probable formation of Argentina: Gerónimo Rulli; Juan Foyth, Cristian Romero, Nicolás Otamendi, Nicolás Tagliafico; Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Giovani Lo Celso or Nicolás Paz; Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martínez, and Thiago Almada. Coach: Lionel Scaloni.

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