Argentina’s likely XI vs Austria, Scaloni’s midfield dilemma | OneFootball

The Argentina national team will face Austria this Monday in the second matchday of Group J at the 2026 World Cup. After a 3-0 win over Algeria in their opener, head coach Lionel Scaloni has virtually settled on the starting lineup, with just one remaining question mark in midfield.

Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez will be in goal, coming off a clean sheet in the opening match. The back line will feature the return of Nahuel Molina, now recovered from injury, alongside Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martínez, and Facundo Medina.

In midfield, the untouchable core will be Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, and Enzo Fernández. The coach’s only doubt concerns the fourth midfielder: the spot is being contested by Thiago Almada and Nicolás González, who set up Lionel Messi late in the previous match. Up front, Messi and Lautaro Martínez will once again lead the attack.

This match represents a key opportunity to move closer to qualification for the round of 32. On the opening matchday, La Albiceleste shone thanks to a Messi hat trick, and those three goals saw him draw level with Germany’s Miroslav Klose as the all-time top scorer in World Cup history. Austria, meanwhile, also comes into the match in high spirits after a 3-1 win over Jordan, a result that leaves them level with Argentina at the top of the group.

Argentina’s probable lineup to face Austria is:

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