The Argentine team, in principle with Lionel Messi as starterplays this Friday against Guatemala its second and last friendly preparation before the United States Copa América, which begins June 20. After the game, which starts at 9 p.m. at the FedEx Field stadium in Washington, Coach Lionel Scaloni announced that he will announce the squad list for the tournament.
The Argentine team has just defeated Ecuador 1-0 in Chicago last Sunday with a cry from Ángel Di María. Tonight will be his last test before starting the defense of the title in the continental competition, in which he will debut versus Canada on Flag Day, at 9 p.m., in Atlanta.
Messi and company later They will face Chileon Tuesday the 25th from 10 p.m., and they will close their group against Peruon Saturday the 29th at 9 p.m.
Scaloni’s idea for playing with Guatemala is to give minutes to those players who They were not there from the beginning against Ecuador.
This would mean the return to the starting eleven, in addition to the captain, of the defenders Nicolás Tagliafico, Nicolás Otamendi and Nahuel Molinaand the midfielders Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernández.
On Wednesday, the team had to practice in a hotel due to the storm that hit the state of Florida.
Nor should we rule out possible entry of Exequiel Palacios instead of Rodrigo De Paul.
Guatemala, for its part, comes from beating the British Virgin Islands 3-0 for the second round of the Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, although it is clear that it is a much smaller rival than Ecuador.
The game will be played at FedEx Field, a stadium in Washington with capacity for 67 thousand people.
Scaloni’s list
The Argentina coach called up 29 players last May to play this double date of international friendlies, before the start of the Copa América.
However, You must reduce the list to 26 names And after the victory against Ecuador, he anticipated that he would announce the final roster once the match with Guatemala ends, that is, this Friday night or in the hours afterward.
The three “cut” by the coach could be Leonardo Balerdi, Valentín Carboni and Valentín Barcoalthough the physical condition of Germán Pezzella and Guido Rodríguez keeps the doubts until the end.
“They responded well. The important thing is that they are well. We will try to give them minutes and see how they respond. One thing is a training session and another thing is the game itself. We will see the minutes they are on the field, not just them. If they’re okay, they’d be in.“said Scaloni about Pezzella and Rodríguez.
Probable formations
Argentina: Emiliano Martínez; Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Nicolás Otamendi, Marcos Acuña or Nicolás Tagliafico; Rodrigo De Paul or Exequiel Palacios, Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernández; Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martínez or Julián Álvarez and Nicolás González. DT: Lionel Scaloni.
Guatemala: Nicholas Hagen; José Ardón, José Carlos Pinto, José Morales, Allen Yanes; Jonathan Franco, Óscar Castellanos, Alejandro Galindo; Rubio Rubín, Óscar Santis and Nathaniel Méndez. DT: Luis Fernando Tena.
Match details
Time: 21
Stadium: FedEx Field, Washington (United States)
TV: TyC Sports
