The FIFA international break is around the corner, and Argentina national team manager Lionel Scaloni announced the call-ups for their upcoming World Cup qualifying fixtures.
Scaloni held out to see if Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi could be summoned following his hamstring injury last week. The 34-year-old missed the Ligue 1 club’s UEFA Champions League match against RB Leipzig.
Nonetheless, Messi will play in Argentina’s two matches against Uruguay on November 12th and Brazil on November 16th.
Here’s the rest of the call ups for La Albiceleste:
Goalkeepers: Franco Armani, Emiliano Martínez, Juan Musso and Franco Gomes Gerth.
Defenders: Nahuel Molina, Gonzalo Montiel, Cristian Romero, Germán Pezzella, Nicolás Otamendi, Lucas Martínez Quarta, Nicolás Tagliafico, Marcos Acuña, Lisandro Martínez and Gastón Ávila.
Midfielders: Leandro Paredes, Guido Rodríguez, Enzo Fernández, Rodrigo De Paul, Exequiel Palacios, Giovani Lo Celso, Nicolás Domínguez, Ángel Di María, Thiago Almada, Santiago Simón, Cristian Medina, Matías Soulé.
Forwards: Lionel Messi, Ángel Correa, Lautaro Martínez, Paulo Dybala, Julián Álvarez, Nicolás González, Joaquín Correa and Exequiel Zeballos.
Argentina could secure the win without Messi, but they’ll have their legend and perhaps secure all three points on the road. Meanwhile, against Brazil, it sees a rematch that could end up in a draw as the two South American giants are evenly matched.