Tagliafico? Paredes? Scaloni’s selection dilemmas for Friday 🇦🇷 | OneFootball

Lionel Scaloni is rebuilding the Scaloneta for Friday’s clash against Cape Verde with a couple of questions keeping fans up at night: Will Cuti make it, and who gets the nod up front alongside Messi?

The Scaloneta isn’t taking its foot off the gas, and the coach is looking to tighten every screw to avoid any surprises. Even though logic suggests rotation, Scaloni knows there’s no margin for error and plans to field the best team available, assessing the fitness of his soldiers until the very last second before they take the pitch.

The wall at the back

The coaching staff are closely monitoring the progress of Cristian "Cuti" Romero. The Tottenham center-back has been racing against the clock in his recovery and, although all signs point to him being fit in time, Nicolás Otamendi is ready to step up if needed.

The other major defensive change would be the return of Nicolás Tagliafico on the left flank, taking the place of Facundo Medina, who performed very well in the opener.

Three names for one spot in midfield

With Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernández untouchable in the engine room, Scaloni’s big dilemma lies on the left side of midfield.

Thiago Almada is currently the frontrunner after his strong performances in the group stage. However, the experience of Leandro Paredes and the magic of Giovani Lo Celso are applying late pressure to break into the starting lineup.

Leo’s partner

Up front, the big question is who will partner the captain. Lautaro Martínez owned the spot in the first phase, but Julián Álvarez has been banging on the door with his recent form.

Scaloni will decide in the final training session whether to stick with the "Toro" or give the "Spider" the start.

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

📸 JUAN MABROMATA - AFP or licensors