Cotton-wool treatment: fitness doubts Scaloni tracks before World Cup | OneFootball

This Thursday the 2026 World Cup begins with the opening match between Mexico and South Africa, and there are only five days left until Argentina’s debut against Algeria next Tuesday at 10 p.m. Ahead of that match, coach Lionel Scaloni has a few players being handled with care, even though preparation in Kansas City had begun with a long list of injured players. The two under observation are Leandro Paredes and Emiliano Martínez. There is also concern over a discomfort affecting Nicolás Tagliafico, and Nicolás González has now been added to the list with muscle overload.

The latest news involved the left back, who is dealing with discomfort and has the coaching staff worried. The information indicates that the defender took a knock against Honduras and still has not been able to recover, but in principle his participation in the main event would not be at risk, although his place in the World Cup opener could be.

Meanwhile, the Atlético de Madrid forward, who had arrived for training in the United States with an injury but was medically cleared before the first friendly, is dealing with muscle overload after coming on for half an hour in the match against Iceland, which forced him to train separately yesterday, and he will be evaluated in the coming hours.

As for the midfielder, he is progressing well, but so far has not been able to complete a full training session with the group and missed the friendlies against Honduras and Iceland. The Boca player suffered a muscle tear in his last official match with Xeneize, against Universidad Católica in the Copa Libertadores, and has been working on his recovery ever since.

At Monday’s press conference, the coach had said that he would rejoin his teammates by the end of the week, so Thursday and Friday’s training sessions will be key. Yesterday, the 31-year-old midfielder took part in part of the session with the rest of the squad, but then continued separately. That is why today’s practice, whose first 15 minutes will be open to the press, will have all eyes on him. His place at the World Cup is not at risk, but his spot in the starting lineup for the opener is.

In the absence of the only player who is usually a natural defensive midfielder, Scaloni improvised with Exequiel Palacios in that role in the friendlies and was very pleased with his performance. However, adding Guido Rodríguez to the squad in place of Leonardo Balerdi, who was ruled out with a tear in the soleus of his right leg, is under consideration. The Valencia player has the advantage that, besides being a holding midfielder, he could also fill in as a center back.

For his part, the other player not yet available is Emiliano Martínez. The goalkeeper arrived in the United States with a fracture in the ring finger of his right hand, and in every practice session he has taken part in, he has done so without gloves, in addition to doing several drills one-handed.

In any case, according to what TyC Sports learned, the Aston Villa player will start in the opener against Algeria. That is why these are crucial hours, since the idea is first to confirm whether a bone callus has already formed on the injured bone and, if everything is in order, to start testing him in training with gloves for the first time. This Thursday he will undergo tests to see whether the fracture has fully healed.

As for the rest, they are already available. Gonzalo Montiel and Nicolás Paz, two players who had arrived in Kansas City with physical issues, got minutes in the last match against Iceland after receiving medical clearance on Sunday. Another in the same situation was Nahuel Molina, although he did not play. In principle, the coaching staff suggested it was because they did not consider him injured, since his issue had come earlier.

Meanwhile, the other absentee was Julián Álvarez due to a problem in one of his ankles that caused swelling. In any case, the Atlético de Madrid forward was able to train on some days and alternated others with rest for the joint, but

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