Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni has provided a worrying fitness update as Lionel Messi’s side look to defend the FIFA World Cup. Scaloni and Messi guided the Albiceleste to their third World Cup success in 2022 and will head to the tournament this month as one of the favourites.
The reigning world champions secured a 2-0 win against Honduras in their penultimate friendly game ahead of the tournament. Following the game, Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni gave a fitness update on his side.
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Marseille defender Leonardo Balerdi has already been ruled out of the World Cup having picked up an injury in training. However, Scaloni has insisted that he might have to make further changes apart from calling up another defender.
He has also claimed that both Nico Paz and Julian Alvarez are fine, but there are several players not fully fit. He said, as quoted by All About Argentina on X:
“We’re not at 100% with all of our players. It might not be just a centre-back that we need to add. Nico Paz is available and could have played tonight and there’s no concern regarding Julián. They won’t have any problems. They are fine!”
He added:
“The replacement hasn’t been decided yet. There’s no need for alarm, but several players still aren’t fully fit. We have another game to assess the situation and gather more information, so we’re not going to rush any decisions. We’ll wait until Tuesday before deciding.”
Lionel Messi-led Argentina find themselves in Group J alongside Algeria, Austria and Jordan. They will kick off their World Cup defence with a fixture against Algeria and will then take on Austria and Jordan respectively.
Pundit predicts why Lionel Messi and Argentina could flop at 2026 World Cup
Pundit Alejandro Moreno has claimed that Lionel Messi-led Argentina could flop at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Lionel Scaloni’s side won the competition in 2022 and will head to this year’s edition as one of the favourites.
However, former Venezuelan forward Alejandro Moreno has claimed that the Albiceleste could flop at the World Cup this time out. He claimed that Lionel Messi’s side had their fair share of fortune in the 2022 edition but they might not have the same luck this time out. He said:
“Argentina [could come up short of expectations]. A lot of things, that I believe, have to happen for you in order to win a World Cup. Obviously you have to have talent, you have to work as a team, have moments of magic from your genius, which in this case is Lionel Messi, and you also have to have an element of good fortune.”
He added:
“And they had a lot of that in the last World Cup. If at any point that luck turns the other way, Argentina comes up short against the Netherlands [in 2022]. Then, we’re not having the conversation about them winning the World Cup.”
Moreno concluded:
“The expectation for them is to be right there in the semi-finals or winning this whole thing. Anything less than that is maybe considered a flop for Argentina. Their standards are higher than most. If they don’t get that element of good fortune, they may not reach that height.”
This will be Lionel Messi’s sixth World Cup campaign, and winning the trophy once again would take his legacy to a whole other level. He is already regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and boasts the most trophies and individual accolades.
Edited by Snehanjan Banerjee