Lionel Scaloni confirms Messi to start, praises Angola’s style of play | OneFootball

The Argentine national football team arrived this Thursday in Angola, where they will play their last friendly match of the year against the local team, in a historic event for the African country. In this regard, Lionel Scaloni spoke at a press conference earlier today and confirmed the presence of Lionel Messi.

What Scaloni said about the match against Angola

“Messi will play, at least to start with; I don’t know how many minutes, we’ll see later. The people will be able to see him,” explained the national team coach to the media.

Regarding the unexpected absences from the squad list, the coach reiterated: “We replaced the absentees with young players we had been following and who could have this opportunity. It helps us to see them and reconfirm what we thought—that they can contribute to the team.”

“I have decided on the team; it will be a team I fully trust, one that has played together a lot. Many world champions will be on the field, and the fans will be able to enjoy it,” Scaloni detailed.

As for the opponent and the significance of the match, the coach said that “every match with the national team is important.” “We will play against a team that did not qualify (for the World Cup) but has done good things, including a great last match against Cameroon. They have good players. We hope the public enjoys it; we are facing an important match for Angola because of the anniversary of their independence.”

“We like that the boys want to be here; this is a long trip. I know the Angolan players, they have well-known names in European leagues and, individually, they are good; if they function as a team, they can make things difficult,” Scaloni went on to explain in more detail.

In addition, the coach explained that for several of the called-up players, this is an opportunity to showcase themselves. “Many of our players are playing for a chance to be seen and to make the World Cup list. Nothing is being given away; we will try to play a good match.”

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