Argentina are ready to start their World Cup mission in Qatar today against Saudi Arabia. The match will be played at the Lusail Stadium. With this game, Lionel Messi will play the fifth world cup in his career.
How will be Argentina’s formation?
Argentina are unbeaten for the last 36 matches. They need to remain unbeaten in just two more games to break Italy’s 37 games unbeaten streak. Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni, however, has played Argentina in a 4-3-3 formation for the past few years. In the midfield, the manager used three central midfielders.
But, Scaloni may change his usual formation today. As Giovanni Lo Celso is out of the squad due to injury, the manager has three options to replace him. Argentina played a friendly against the UAE before the World Cup, where the manager used Mac Allister with Rodrigo De Paul and Leandro Parades. Therefore, the manager might include Allister with De Paul and Parades in the starting XI.
Lionel Messi will definitely lead the frontline. He will start from the right wing. But as we see before, Lionel Messi has the freedom to play anywhere he wants. Sometimes, he goes to the midfield to create more chances, and sometimes he plays the “number nine” role. Anyway, Lautaro Martinez is the favorite to start today, and Agel Di Maria will play in the left-wing position.
But the manager has to think about his defense. According to some sources, Marcus Acuna is not 100% fit. In that situation, Tagliafico will play in the left-back position. Otamendi and Christian Romero are the favorites to pair up in the central defense. But Lisandro Martinez played the friendly in Romero’s place. On the other hand, Nahuel Molina will play the role of right-back. In addition, Emiliano Martinez is the first choice for the manager in between the goalposts.
The Possible lineup for Argentina
Emiliano Martinez; Tagliafico, Otamendi, Romero, Molina; Leandro Parades, Mac Allister, De Paul; Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martinez, and Angel Di Maria.
The possible lineup for Saudi Arabia
MohammedAl-Owais; Saud AbdulHamid, Abdulelah Al-Amri, AliAl-Bulaihi, YasirAl-Shahrani; MohammedKano, AbdulelahAl-Malki, Firas Al-Brika, SalemAl-Dawsari; SalmanAl-Farajand, and SalehAl-Shehri.
