With Messi in doubt, Argentina’s likely line-up vs Mauritania | OneFootball

Although Scaloni confirmed him for both matches, the captain might not be part of the starting lineup in the first of the FIFA international window friendlies.

The Argentina National Team will play the first of its two scheduled friendlies this Friday during the current FIFA international window, kicking off at 8:15 p.m. against Mauritania at La Bombonera, and Lionel Messi might not take the field from the start.

Lionel Scaloni’s decision would not only be about managing the captain’s workload, but especially about getting a longer look at Nicolás Paz in action, surrounded by the usual starters, as he is enjoying an excellent spell at Como in Italy.

“At this point, I’m not sure Messi will start. He’s going to play in both matches, Scaloni himself confirmed it, but there is a need to observe other players and confirm some positions. That’s why there’s a very good chance he won’t be in the starting lineup today and that Nico Paz will get the opportunity, most likely,” Diego Monroig said on SportsCenter early this Friday.

The other doubts the coach still has ahead of the match against Mauritania are whether Nicolás Tagliafico or Marcos Acuña will start at left back, and whether Thiago Almada or Leandro Paredes will complete a midfield alongside the confirmed Enzo Fernández and Alexis Mac Allister.

With that in mind, Argentina would take the field at La Bombonera with Emiliano Martínez; Nicolás Tagliafico or Marcos Acuña, Marcos Senesi, Cristian Romero, Nahuel Molina; Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández, Leandro Paredes or Thiago Almada, Nicolás González; Lionel Messi or Nicolás Paz, and Julián Álvarez.

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