Who is favourite to be Argentina's starting No 6 at the World Cup | OneFootball

The Argentina national team already has its mind set on June 16, the day it will make its World Cup debut when it faces Algeria in the opening match of Group J. Although coach Lionel Scaloni will wait to see how the injured players progress for that game, and they are expected to be available, the truth is that the main doubt concerns the holding midfielder.

Even though Leandro Paredes has been the one playing in that role in Argentina’s most recent matches, everything indicates that Alexis Mac Allister will start at the World Cup. Still, it is clear that the coach tends to change his ideal starting eleven during tournaments, as happened in Qatar 2022, so nobody will be able to relax.

For the Boca midfielder to break into the starting lineup, Rodrigo De Paul would have to come out, and he has been getting back into top physical condition well. Since he has been one of the pillars of this national team, he will probably be given a vote of confidence by the coaching staff.

The other midfielder completing the team would be Enzo Fernández, untouchable at this point, just like the Liverpool player. Both can play either as central midfielders or deeper-lying midfielders, but the middle suits Mac Allister better, which is why he would displace Paredes.

It should also be kept in mind that Boca’s captain is arriving at this World Cup with fitness issues because he suffered a strain in the hamstring of his right leg, which forced him to play with difficulty against Universidad Católica on the final matchday of the Copa Libertadores group stage.

Beyond that, Paredes, who has also been a key player throughout Scaloni’s entire tenure, knows he will have opportunities to earn the spot and that in some matches the coach may even choose to include him to reinforce the midfield. But, a priori, Mac Allister is the one who would win out.

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