The roster for the second period of matches heading into the World Cup in North America includes several U-23s, some returnees and two weight cuts.
The year is starting to close for the world champion. In the penultimate period of matches in 2023, the Argentina national team will face Paraguay and Peru for the third and fourth dates of the 2026 South American Qualifiers respectively, and Lionel Scaloni has already defined the roster.
The complete agenda of the Argentina national team on the way to the 2026 World Cup
After ideally starting the road to the North American World Cup, with a solid victory over Ecuador on home soil and a historic defeat of Bolivia in La Paz, the Albiceleste will receive the Albirroja at the Monumental next Thursday, October 12 and 5. days later, on Tuesday the 17th, they will visit the National Stadium in Lima to face the Inca team.
Looking ahead to the matches, the coach formed an extensive list of 34 footballers in which, in addition to the base of the squad inaugurated in Qatar, some returnees stand out and several Under-23s appear again who will work mainly under the orders of Javier Mascherano in preparation at the Olympic qualifications in early 2024.
Of the 26 inducted in Lusail on December 18, only five players are missing, including the standout Angel Di María, who was injured in the Champions League match against Inter. The other one that was left out at the last minute is Angel Correa, who suffered a sprained knee in the classic against Real Madrid. The other three who know how much he weighs and will not be there already knew each other beforehand: the injured Geronimo Rulli And Lisandro Martinez and the exiled Papu Gomez.
As for the returns, after missing the premiere of the Qualifiers, they are again Paulo Dybala, Marcos Acuña, Lucas Ocampos and Giovani Lo Celsowhile after his great start to the season at Fiorentina Lucas Martinez Quarta After a year and a half he appears again in a telephone conversation.
Meanwhile, the big news on the list appears among the Under-23s: Carlos Alcaraz, Marco Pellegrino and Facundo Farías received their first call-ups to the national team, while Lucas Esquivel and Bruno Zapelli remain on the list.
Lionel Scaloni’s squad list for the matches against Paraguay and Peru
Sagittarians:
- Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
-
Franco Armani (river)
- Juan Musso (Atalanta)
- Walter Benitez (PSV)
Defenders:
- Juan Foyth (Villarréal)
- Gonzalo Montiel (Nottingham Forest)
- Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid)
- German Pezzella (Real Betis)
- Cristian Romero (Tottenham)
- Lucas Martínez Quarta (Fiorentina)
- Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica)
- Marco Pellegrino (Milan)
- Marcos Acuña (Seville)
- Nicolás Tagliafico (Olympique Lyon)
- Lucas Esquivel (Paranaense Athletics)
Midfielders:
- Leandro Paredes (Rome)
- Guido Rodriguez (Real Betis)
- Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea)
- Rodrigo De Paul (Atletico Madrid)
- Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen)
- Carlos Alcaraz (Southampton)
- Giovani Lo Celso (Tottenham)
- Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool)
- Thiago Almada (Atlanta United)
- Bruno Zapelli (Athletico Paranense)
Fronts:
- Paulo Dybala (Rome)
- Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
- Julián Álvarez (Manchester City)
- Lautaro Martinez (Inter)
- Facundo Farias (Inter Miami)
- Lucas Beltran (Fiorentina)
- Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United)
- Nicolás González (Fiorentina)
- Lucas Ocampos (Seville)
Source: Goal
Gregory Robert is a sports aficionado and a writer for “Social Bites”. He provides in-depth coverage of the latest sporting events and trends, offering a unique and knowledgeable perspective on the world of sports.