Argentina rumored eleven vs. Ecuador, Lionel Messi, Emiliano Martinez, Lautaro

By
Roy Nemer
-
171

Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni seems to have ten of his eleven players set for the match against Ecuador.

Lionel Scaloni’s team begin the journey to the 2022 FIFA World Cup against Ecuador on Thursday and the doubt in the starting eleven appears to be between the goalkeepers. Emiliano Martinez started in goal during the last training session on Tuesday but it could be between Martinez, Franco Armani and Esteban Andrada to start. However, per a report by TNT Sports, Martinez is expected to be selected.

With an injury to Gio Lo Celso opening up a spot in midfield, Marcos Acuna looks to be the one to replace him. Per TNT Sports, here is the starting eleven:

Emiliano Martínez; Montiel, Martínez Quarta, Otamendi, Tagliafico; De Paul, Paredes, Acuña; Messi, Lautaro Martínez, Ocampos.

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171 Comments

  1. Man, someone plz provide links or live streams for the match. It’s very difficult here, in India to find something.
    I tried the cr7 site but they are me asking to download apps and things. Also they are asking me to make an account.

  2. I wish it were Emi, but Armani has a lot experience with the NT team now so it was a safe bet by Scaloni for the first WCQ. I would have started Emi anyways b/c you cant get experience w/o playing, and friendlies dont mean anything.

    Question: is it still 3 subs or did they increase it to 5 bc of COVID?

  3. How about a WhatsApp group for some close dedicated fans till we see my username happening. Will have some people to discuss with, as all of us have friends being Argentina fans only knowing Messi in the team but not even his position. Let me know your opinion 🙂

  6. Unnecessary criticism for Armani here, Armani played 11 matches for Argentina also part of two International tournament World Cup 2018 and copa 2019. Andrada played just 2 friendly matches for Argentina in last international break, Emi Martinez hasn’t played a single match for Argentina. Between 3 GK Armani is most experienced, other 2 haven’t played any competitive matches it will be completely injustice if Armani dropped without any reason. First of all Armani shouldn’t call up in the beginning and Emi Martinez who haven’t played single matche can’t walk into team like that even Messi had to wait before cementing his place. Media was right to pressure Armani in starting 11, if scaloni not called up Armani then there won’t be any question at all.

      • Armani shouldn’t be called up begining, in first competitive match you just can’t drop most experience player without any reason. If Romero was there then media never pressured for Armani. Emi Martinez just can’t walk into playing 11 without any minutes played before, Argentine media is here right. If Armani wasn’t call up because of lack of playing matches then there won’t be the question

  9. Armani ?? Really?? How come he’s back in goal ? Is he really the best Argentina have ??
    Romero? Martinez? Cut both arms off them… and they still better than Armani !!!!

    • Armani ?? Really?? How come he’s back in goal ? Is he really the best Argentina have ??
      Romero? Martinez? Cut both arms off them… and they still better than Armani !!!!
      Gazzaniga?? Walter Benitez ??

  11. Wish to see good attacking plan today. Will have my eyes on Lucas Martinez Quarta as I expect this kid to hold the defense well.
    VAMOS ARGENTINA!

    • yes. i hope he fit well in the team because i have big hopes for him about future.
      i wish him perform very well.
      Me and a lot of River Plate fans we are so sad with his leaving to Italy.
      we didn t want this happened.

      But anyway this is not subject for speak today and generally it is not subject i want to speak in this place.

      VAMOS ARGENTINA !!!
      VAMOS A GANAR !

      • Yeah as a River fan its sad to see players like Palacios and MQ leave but it has to happen eventually. When that happens I remember the national team (at least for me) comes first so it’s good.

  13. This selection looks okay although I’m not over the moon with it. There’s a dearth of creative players in this rumoured eleven but I’ll keep hoping for the best.

  14. how interesting is how small is the line from be heroe to zero for one player.
    how easy people change thinking and forget it is always amaze me.

    Armani , Lo celso , Meza and many others come to my brain for many different reasons that was suppose will be heroes in 2018 and after.
    i remember the posts like it is today about many of them.

    2 years after they are for a lot of fans zeros.
    some of them fair and some of them not fair.
    anyhow my wish is God save Martinez from make one mistake like Caballero in game against Croatia in 2018 because i don t want to see what can come up after something like that.
    i don t wish him that.

    and one joke.
    if something like that happened the first thing i will do is to run enter in Mundo.
    i don t want to miss it 🙂 🙂 🙂

    guys the last is just joke. don t start attacking.

    • I see my friend that you are in good mood today 🙂
      it is funny that sometimes we need to mention when we say a joke so ‘some’ members don’t come attacking. 🙂

      • yes it is true my friend. i am very happy because i finally will see the team play again today 🙂 it passed so long time. i miss it so much.

  15. With Lo Celao out, Palacios yet to find his playing time and form back, there is nothing wrong in Playing Acuna from beginning, imo.

    Even though it will be 4_3_3 in paper, mostly it will be a 4_4_2 system with Acuna & Ocambos taking care of RM & LM.
    With Gomez coming in Second half, bringing a more stable 3 men mid & better attacking prospects..

    Hope the team will resume from where they stopped last year- as a much better organized team.

  16. Armani starting is not at all a good decision, if the News is true. If he don’t want to give chance to EMI directly after the first time call into the NT, (I don’t see anything wrong in that, considering the recent phenomenal rise of EMI) He could have try Andrada atleast.

    Armani should be a closed chapter for us.
    1. Juan Musso
    2. EMI
    3. Andrada

  17. Hi all.Im from maldives.is there any Chanel or streaming link where I can watch the arg match.im die hard fan of Argentina NT.pls pls share me an online link.

  18. Armani is the worst of all those 4 Gks even Andrada is better than him.. I don’t understand scaloni’s preference of Armani.
    Tbh Armani has been a terrible GK for Argentina , his one poor penalty save in copa America doesn’t change anything.

  19. Just a thought but. If you look back at all the past World Cup winners they all had world class players in all positions not just in the forward positions like us, look: 2018: France 2014:Germany 2010:Spain 2006:Italy 2002:Brazil 1998:France can’t really remember the other teams like Brazil in 1994 and others. Well I guess Italy had like Luca Toni and parrota which weren’t really seen as world class but the rest of the team was solid grossi maybe was a little unknown I forget. Germany were all round solid

    • Only Spain 2010 and Germany 2014 were unbeatable on paper rest of all world cup runner up also deserved to lift the trophy, Argentina and Holland got tough opponents though they had opportunities in final.

  20. I knew its coming. Scaloni and Armani from same place. Also Argentina Media is asking what Emi has do e to start..? Armani’s agent voiced against starting Emi…sure he’s speaking for Armani. Scaloni says he wanted one GK and continue with him. Yes.. if he gives chance now for Emi..hes going to start from now onwards. Later the competition will be with Emi and Musso.
    But somany campaigned against Emi, one said it’s a crime to start Emi only because he’s playing in Europe. He can’t see Emi winning two trophies recently..? He can’t see his performance against world class players..?

    • it’s unfortunate for Argentina… Armani maybe world-class in the river plate but he conceded 15 goals in 9 matches…against France 2 goals were saveable… I’m not saying he shouldn’t play if somebody is better than him, he should get a chance no matter what..

  21. Wow I haven’t been here in so long…..my interest in the national team is coming back. Any ideas if Dybala is in the starting 11? It’s a shame to waste his talent; how does he fit into scalonis plans? What happened to otemendi why did Man City sell him? Pep must think he’s not good enough anymore. There are a few players I see in the squad which I don’t know anything about.

    As for the World Cup I just dont see how we can compete??? Unless a miracle happens like in 86 where everyone thought Argentina had no chance…

    • > Any ideas if Dybala is in the starting 11?

      Probably not. Rumor is Ocampos – Martinez – Messi. Agreed. really waste of his talent..needs more playtime.

      > how does he fit into scalonis plans?

      As a #9. Competing against Aguero and Martinez.

      > What happened to Otemendi why did Man City sell him? Pep must think he’s not good enough anymore.

      Otamendi doesn’t suite HIGH backline at all. Too slow, doesn’t work for Peps tactics. He would do better is other systems. Well see how he progresses at Benefica

      > As for the World Cup I just dont see how we can compete???

      No need to be fatalistic, theres still time left. The team has a lot of energy and cohesion, solid midfield and attack. Needs to work on defense and we can challenge any team, including France.

    • Dybala deserve to start for Argentina but he hadn’t played a single match since UCL quarter final exist.

  22. This is totally crime by Argentine fucking media as well as scoloni. He is the same like previous coach who wanna secure his place with support of Argentine fucking media.lol again and again with losser fucking armani
    Argentina 3- 1 Armani

  23. I don’t care who starts who isn’t
    What is matter to me three points
    With good solid performance

    Everyone has their own preference players
    Plus too much stressing opinion isn’t good ethier.

  24. With this formation midfield is looking very thin. Acuna is a left winger. Parades is not a good defensive midfielder. De Paul is also winger. So only 1 midfielder in front of back line. I think it’s too risky for a physical team like Ecuador. Nicolaus Dominguez or Palacios should have been there instead of Acuna.

      • Don’t know. Maybe because it’s the 1st match of the Qualifiers, not taking any risk. Already there have been some reports in Argentine media against the possible inclusion of Martinez in the XI instead of Armani or Andrada. It would have been Martinez’s first start for the national team, and that also, in a Qualifier opener. Or maybe, he didn’t impress as much as we thought in the training to earn him a start. Who knows. All I want is a good display and win.

        • agreed man… but he deserves it…that’s what I’m saying… I don’t hate Armani or Andreda but in the last couple of months, they had been out of action and just played 2 games before this match in the last 8mnths… EMI’s dedication toward NT should be appreciated and encouraged by giving him game-time…
          But best of luck to Armani…as long as we win and put a good show

        • This is totally crime by Argentine fucking media as well as scoloni. He is the same like previous coach who wanna secure his place with support of Argentine fucking media.lol again and again with losser fucking armani.

  26. Ole is reporting Armani will be the goalkeeper.
    Interesting choice. I would have thought if it is not Emi it should be Andrada as because he is playing in the Bombonera – his home stadium and knows the grounds better..
    …maybe scaloni wants connection with montiel/lucas.

      • Yes complex decision. There are advantages with taking someone familiar with the field. Comfort with the grass on the pitch around the box, the exact width, the sight lines from the corners etc…but on the other hand the advantage of playing with familiar team mates. In the end the coach knows better. We hope Armani has a great game!

        Of course everything can still change. He doesn’t have to confirm until one hour of the start.

        • If this is the team we are going to end up with I expect Ocampos on the right and Acuña on the left, which is good for stretching the play I suppose. I don’t think either will tend to cut inside as much if that happens.

          • I watched alfaro so much last year. I feel pretty confident assuming he will pack minimum 8 people in the box to play for the draw.
            May not be bad idea with acuna/ocampos to stretch it and create some space in the box for the front two. Otherwise we might see papu or dybala soon.
            Hopefully paredes has been told to unleash some long rangers to draw them out too.

  27. Vamos Argentina, Let’s win the game by a big margin and show the world that we are a favorite team for WC22.
    Once again, Vamos Argentina…let’s win this🤩🥰

  28. It’s going to be a tough match for us. Hope our players don’t commit any mistake. We need to earn as many points as possible at the very early stages. We have to keep it in our mind that some senior players may not stay healthy or last till next world cup. I want to mention kun, Armani, otamendi. Some core players may be facing some fitness problems which is common after such a hectic schedule. The earlier we qualify the better. Only then scaloni can go for testing other players of his choice. Sabella made several changes after getting qualified. He used guinazu, brana, desabto in the qualifiers. Once Argentina qualified he went for team combination. Scaloni should be doing the same for Argentina.

  29. It’s reported that 90% of the players selected by Bolivia’s coach are domestic based players and they started the training on August 17 since there wasn’t domest football going on. 18 of those players who have been training together in a month will go to Brazil, but there are 9 other players who won’t travel to Brazil whom the coach sent to La Paz for the game against Argentina and will be trained there by Bolivia’s legend Pablo Escobar.

    Now Bolivia’s coaching staff have a great plan in place. I think Armani/Andrada, LMQ, Montiel, and Palacios can help us get a good result Vs. Bolivia as they have better experience playing in there.

    It was always difficult for us to play in La Paz and the Bolivians know very well how to use the altitude of La Paz to their advantage. Vamos Argentina!!!

    • Really hate this La Paz trouble in the starting of the new campaign. But a relief is it’s not in the later stages when the table position gets tricky and matches become Do or Die, like in 2009.
      Ideally it would have been awesome to begin the campaign with 6 straight points.
      But hope we can manage a 4. Team requires to do something similar to what Sabella did in Bolivia

      • Yep, La Paz is a pain in the neck, but if we collect the first three points it will be a confidence booster that will help us deal with the high altitude. As you mentioned we are lucky that the clash against Bolivia is in the early stages of the qualifiers. Hopefully our coaching staff will manage a way to defeat tha Bolivians in their backyard this time around.

        • is this qualifier have 5 substitutions?

          5 sub would be a massive help for us….maybe we would need to sit back and play in counter in la Paz… I hoped Acuna and Ocampus won’t play in the next match and rather would be reserved for the la Paz match….whatever as long as we can get the first 3 points, it would be easier to play in la Paz without extra pressure…

          • Found this post..not sure of its accuracy but it seems reasonable.

            SUBSTITUTIONS

            In accordance with the transitory modification of Rule 3 approved by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), Five changes will be allowed as follows:

            During the match, both teams:
            – may use a maximum of five substitutes
            – they will have a maximum of three opportunities to proceed with a substitution *
            – they can make substitutions during the break

            In the event of an extension, both teams:
            – may make an additional substitution, whether or not they have reached the maximum number of substitutes allowed
            – they will have one more replacement opportunity, whether or not they have reached the maximum number of such opportunities
            – may make substitutions:
            – before the start of the extension
            – during the overtime break.

            If the teams have not used the maximum number of substitutes or have not exhausted the maximum number of substitution opportunities, during overtime they may have the substitutes or the remaining opportunities.

            In the event that both teams make a substitution at the same time, a substitution opportunity will be subtracted from each of them.

            In the case of senior competitions, players who have already been replaced will not be allowed to re-enter during that match.

            lapelotita.com/2020/10/02/fifa-regulations-maintain-the-5-changes-in-the-south-american-qualifying-matches/

          • @jack-sparrow

            🙂 “Choripan” is a popular Argentine sandwich with sausage. Typically made with chorizo, crusty bread, and chimichurri. Truly delicious stuff. Many countries have their own local version of sausage + bread.

            Feast your eyes on this.

            google.com/search?q=choripan&sxsrf=ALeKk03dd-s_2APP1SWfPI_y-3oegFfwHw:1602175713962&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi-krHSuaXsAhUEvp4KHUgMBQ4Q_AUoAXoECCcQAw&biw=1377&bih=751&dpr=2

  30. This morning in Buenos Aires the people are praising the return of Messi to argentina and are all positive in speculating Lauturos connection with Leo and it’s potential impact on any opposing teams defense.
    This is a solid and well balanced lineup … On paper at least.
    For anyone saying paredes shouldn’t be in mid with our starters either hasn’t seen him play, or must have seen an argentine ghost midfielder who is better. We don’t have many choices in that position.
    Also, anyone complaining about acuna has also not seen his discipline and work ethic in the field. The guy is a work horse.
    Ecuador is coming to argentina with alot to prove, I don’t see them as an easy 3 points.
    As long as no one bleaches their hair in the next 12 hours then we should be ok. LOL

    • Acuna is a work horse, just watch Copa Semifinal against Brazil.I do not know how many times he lost possession of the ball,he can not win duels.Acuna is good in providing crosses he is average player I do not rate him high may be he can prove me wrong.
      Paredes is very influential player,he is something else with national team may be because of coaching staff, his commitment towards national team is praiseworthy.
      I think after the introduction of Gomez as substitute after 60 or 70 minutes Argentina will score 3 more goals or may be 2 more goals

      • U right about the brazil game and acuna, good observation. I forgot about that match, but all other matches he seemed rather sturdy. I don’t think he is a top player, but we havnt found top defenders and midfielders other then de paul and paredes in almost 5 years. We need a solution here before Messi is gone into retirement

  34. IMO
    Paredes is very important player for NT he just need a healthy competition in his position, i think Guido rodriguez is doing well at Betis.
    Paredes is defensively not that bad in NT he works his ass off to defend in National team. His main problem is he is not trying enough to help in attack. His job is to invite pressure free up space for other players and quick transition of ball which he is quite capable of. Even his passes are not good enough most of those are back passes although he is capable of providing defense splitting passes. Paredes is a rare talent.

  35. Buendia what a player…!

    1-Buendia ranks second for accurate through balls (12) since the start of the 2019/20 Premier League season.
    2-Fourth for both successful dribbles (102) and key passes (83) in England’s first division 2019/2020.

    His Performance in the Premier League last season;

    Matches – 28(8)
    Gols/Assists – 1/7
    Shots per 90 minutes- 1.5
    Key passes per 90 minutes – 3.0
    Dribbles per 90 minutes – 3.7
    Crosses per 90 minutes – 6.0
    Tackles per 90 minutes – 3.0

    Still, no one signs him? Even Scaloni not calling him up? He is being another Papu Gomez.

  36. Hopefully Verona coach quickly integrates Lautaro valenti and bruno amione both Young CB in the first team quickly and same hope goes for Fiorentina coach to quickly integrate pezella and quarta martinez in the fiorentina starting 11 which might give Argentina NT advantage of having CBs with good team work between them.

  37. Very happy to see many new Members in the forum, that too when World Cup or Copa is not around.
    Though I was far from being regular here, and my comments and contributions were very minimal, I was a member of this great forum since 2011 Copa time. For the Albiceleste fans all around the world, especially in the English speaking parts, you won’t find a better group than this.
    Here we have many with deep knowledge of South American Domestic football. Many who follows all of our young NT prospects playing in every possible leagues in Europe & Beyond. With their valuable comments, we all will be updated on our Beloved Argentina Football and it’s progress. And more than just informations, here we have a platform for a very healthy discussions (With a Good amount of Negativity, which truly gives topics a flavour of difference in opinion & saves the group from being a band of cheerleaders) and opinions regarding the team & tactics.

    As a member & an Admirer of this group, i would like to welcome all Newcomers to the Mundo Albiceleste.

    #### if it will be useful to some,

    Argentina vs Ecuador match will be Kicked off at 6:00 AM in India on Friday.
    6:30 AM in Bangladesh.
    6:15 AM in Nepal.
    5:30 AM in Pakistan.

    http://www.ronaldo7.net is a good site, which never fails in Working. (Try it, If Ronaldo part is not Blasphemous for u 🙂 )

    Vamos Argentina.

  38. 2020 summer transfer window for Argentines to or within European top5 leagues:

    E. Martínez (28 – GK) Arsenal ➡️ Aston Villa

    Rulli (28 – GK) Real Sociedad ➡️ Villarreal

    Ledesma (27 – GK) Rosario Central ➡️ Cádiz (loan)

    Quarta (24 – CB, DM) River Plate ➡️ Fiorentina

    Foyth (22 – CB, RB/DM) Tottenham ➡️ Villarreal (loan)

    Romero (22 – CB, RB) Juventus ➡️ Atalanta (loan)

    Balerdi (21 – CB, DM) Dortmund ➡️ Marseille (loan)

    Pérez (20 – CB) Atlético Madrid ➡️ Granada (loan)

    Medina (21 – CB, LB) Talleres ➡️ Lens

    Valenti (21 – CB) Lanús ➡️ Parma

    Amione (18 – CB, LB/RB) Belgrano ➡️ Verona

    Otamendi (32 (CB, RB) Manchester City ➡️ Benfica

    Magallán (27 – CB) Ajax ➡️ Crotone (loan)

    Acuña (28 – LB, LM/LW) Sporting ➡️ Sevilla

    Sánchez Miño (LB, LM/LW) Independiente ➡️ Elche

    Molina (22 – RB, LB/RM) Boca Juniors II ➡️ Udinese

    Marcone (30 – DM, CM/LM) Boca Juniors ➡️ Elche (loan)

    Battaglia (29 – DM, CM/AM) Sporting ➡️ Alavés (loan)

    Escalante (27 – CM, DM/RM) Eibar ➡️ Lazio

    Lo Celso (24 – AM/CM, RM) Real Betis ➡️ Tottenham

    Pereyra (29 – AM/CM/LM) Watford ➡️ Udinese

    Brunetta (23 – AM/SS/LM) Godoy Cruz ➡️ Parma (loan)

    Soulé (17 – RW, AM) Vélez U20 ➡️ Juventus U19

    Pussetto (24 – RW, CF/SS) Watford ➡️ Udinese (loan)

    Rigoni (27 – RW, LW/CF) Zenit ➡️ Elche (loan)

    Carrillo (29 – CF) Southampton ➡️ Elche

    Boyé (24 – CF, LW) Torino ➡️ Elche (loan)

    Bustos (22 – CF, LW/RW) Talleres ➡️ Manchester City (loaned to Girona)

    Simeone (25 – CF) Fiorentina ➡️ Cagliari

    Icardi (27 – CF) Inter Milan ➡️ PSG

    (please correct if I missed someone)

    All in all a very good transfer window for us! We have been asking for an improved defence and we got 10 CB transfers, 7 of them under age of 23 to prove themselves in Europe. For RB, Molina got a transfer to Udinese and impressed in his first minutes.

    Of course, some disappointments in De Paul, Tagliafico, Montiel and Buendia especially.

    I want to remind you guys that the 20/21 winter transfer window starts in less than 3 months, and some of the transfers that didn’t go through now, could happen then instead.

    I would say that we can almost expect De Paul to Juventus or Inter (or other CL club), Tagliafico to Manchester City or Leicester City, Pezzella to AC Milan.

    Note that England has an extra domestic window October 5-16. Fingers crossed Buendia gets picked up by a prem team.

  40. Good afternoon all mundoalbiceleste members from Nepal..I’m new here and I want to have friendship with all of you my friends.i am a great fan of Argentina since my childhood days..
    I want to know how to watch live for tomorrow clash between Argentina and Ecuador..

  41. Emiliano is a good goal keeper, but I think only problem which can happen is his chemistry with the defense (There is no time to prepare at all), Because he uses his feet a lot for short passes it’s going to be a risky scenario if he doesn’t have a chemistry with the defense (especially with Otamendi). It’s in his playing style to use his feet, I genuinely hope he don’t pull off a Caballero like passing blunder. Armani and Andrada have been with the group for a longer period. Anyway good luck to Emiliano, he deserves the spot, he has struggled a lot to be in this position. Got to respect that.

  43. i don’t get it why is acuna playing in the midfield three he in not a central midfielder. i like scaloni and his selection but playing players out of position makes me doubt him. and papu gomez is probably the best player in the world right now why not play him and the selection of the defense should be better our CBs should be:-
    cristian romero ,marcos senesi , licha martinez and lucas martinez quarta and faundo medina .

  45. It looks like Scaloni is going for Acuna in the midfield. Ocampos will play either in the left-wing of 4-3-3 or in the right midfield of 4-4-2. Although I would have loved to see Papu or Palacios instead of Acuna, I think Scaloni is going for the safer approach here. Considering the pacy wingers of Ecuador and the 1st match of the Qualifiers, it seems to me as a smart and pragmatic decision. We have to remember that we are coming from a long break since the last international match for Argentina. Fewer training sessions also add to this issue. The last time Argentina did well consistently was under a pragmatic coach like Sabella. Hopefully, Scaloni is on the right path. Only time will tell. Vamos Argentina.

    • Palacios hasn’t played much football and papu hasn’t played in scaloni’s system yet.
      So it’s a wise move to play acuna. Seeing Acuna as a midfielder in the team is definitely not exciting.😅
      We are going to miss lo celso’s creativity for sure. Papu can bring creativity but he is not strong and with Messi it’s difficult to play him in the midfield. Palacios is the perfect replacement for lo celso but he is not at the same level as lo celso at the moment, he should start playing regularly for his club.
      In an ideal world I want to see Nico Gonzalez playing on a left wing instead of acuna and ocampos on right in 4-4-2 system. And if we are playing 4-3-3 then lo celso Paredes de Paul are the best in the midfield.

  46. Every body has their own personal preference and that does mean coaches have their own. So do not critisize coaches before match but after match we can all have the luxury to put our opinion on game. Hope Argentina will win the game against both the opponent.

  47. Which channel in India will show the matches live,Because I remember that Sony ten network showed 2018 Russia qualifiers live. Does anyone has any idea.

  48. so many new users… Welcome Everyone….

    Acuna plays or not we must have to win…if he plays well good for us another option in mid, if he plays bad scolani can adjust the formation and player… So as long as we win I have no complains..
    Scolani’s arg NT career is based on trail and error, so he has time to adjust the team till copa…but we must win to relive the pressure for la paz match
    …Though i don’t like acuna in mid if it doesn’t work there is always chance of substitution…. Anyway don’t break ur head over acuna,he is definitely not starter over celso and based on opponent he may start but it’s not like he will always start and play bad…
    After benfica performance ota is looking like the weak link…to be honest whole defence is weaklink of this team…montial has no experience with Nt, MQ is quite good bt still lacking experience, Ota is ota, Tagla is alright as u can only give him attacking or defensive duty one exclusive but not both….
    Let’s see and vamos

  49. Look guys, let me wipe the poops off the many arses here. Simply to say, scaloni chose Acuna so that he can act both as a midfielder and defender at the same time. Scaloni must have figured out that Ecuador have pacy wingers and may go full Rambo on argentine defenders, if they get a chance, so he opted for a transitional player who can also act as a 5th defender for the set-up. It’s that simple.
    But yeah, just like you people even I’m confused about my own poop, why not papu/ palacios or even dybala but Acuna?
    Let’s leave it to scaloni, after all he is the coach. He knows better than us for sure.
    All left aside, I only care about the win and good performances by the players. Who plays or not is something that is not in our control, so let’s hope for best.

    Vamos argentina……..but wait where I will watch the watch??????

  50. My biggest concern is otamendi.Because he is too much error prone now these days.and he is so reckless that could give opponent penalty or free kick in dangerous position.
    Paredes has similar characteristic but he is quite better.he has to be aware not to be sent off.because with one man down the game is over for us.

    • another idea: Whoever does this should make it unlisted so it doesn’t get removed from youtube but everyone here has the link. I think I have another way of streaming but youtube would be way better.

  52. I am a very old member of Mundo. Though I don’t comment, I have been following almost all posts here and have been reading some selected comments. I read all the comments from MAMOUN ELPIPITA who provides us with very updated, accurate and reliable information related to our beloved NT.

  53. Hi guys! First comment here. Been following albiceleste since 2014.
    I’m having great positive vibes for Argentina. It’s sad that copa didn’t take place this year as we were in great form, but let’s hope we can elevate our form more.
    Btw are we playing with 4-4-2 or 4-3-3?

  54. Some thinks this rumored line up is 4 4 2 but it is 4 3 3.I do not think Scaloni will go for defensive 4 4 2 vs Ecuador. Argentina is much better than Ecuador to go 4 4 2.Gomez should be included as soon as possible,Acuna should always be a substitute. He does not link up well with Tagliafico. If there is Gomez as starter I can see there will be raining of goals.
    My other concern is why Quartinez Martinez is there in line up, Nehuen Perez or Medina is much better,Pezella and Quarta Martinez are same kind of player may be Scaloni is going for like for like. Very happy seeing Emi Martinez as starter here. I want clean sheet for Argentina.

  55. @La pulga Atomica, welcome to Mundo. As you pointed out Acuna offers to the NT what many players can’t. His flexibility, hard work, and pinpoint crosses are what makes him part and parcel of the team. Whenever there is Acuna, Tagliafico can have peace of mind because he shields Tagi from the opponents’ attacks and it doesn’t end there, he also gives some kind of protection to Paredes as well whom at times is very vulnerable to counter-attacks.

    @Amit, having personal preference is normal when there is some kind of logic behind it, but the way some people criticize players is beyond me. Even when a particular player whom some fans criticize puts on a good display, some of his critics continue bashing him no matter what so it’s more of an obsession than healthy critique.

    • agree Dadir. thats why the biggest demand of users here is the IGNORE button. Its a win-win situation as changing people’s mindset seems impossible

  57. This line up lacks creativity in midfield. There’re all hard workers but we need something else. Gomez in stead of Acuna would help.

  58. I’ve skipped with my SofaScore ratings sheet this week – apologies, too busy for that at the moment. I will do one after the game tomorrow (:

  59. Our defence selection is worst. We need more solid central defender. One question why does scaloni play de paul on the midfield instead of wing? We have lo celso in central mid field( i know he is injured).

    • My friend we have discussed this many times. One of the problems after the decline of the midfielders of the past generation was to find someone who could make up for the defensive work rate of messi.

      If you follow the time line of the evolution of Scaloni’s setup you will remember that the earliest iterations, when messi was absent in the squad (post world cup 2018 friendlies call ups) and scaloni was free to try whatever, it did not involve depaul in the middle and a raw 433 type system with wide wingers was tried – players tried in the wing on either side included among others cervi, pavon, depaul too, pity, meza etc etc.

      However when el capitan returned to the squad Scaloni had to quickly readjust the right hand side of the midfield due to the issue of defense on that flank mentioned above. Originally he did try to make up for the cover with gio. But in games against venezuela (friendly) and Colombia (Copa) it did not seem to work. The problem arose that due to gio being extreme left footed there was an issue with coordinating with the left footed messi.

      Through trial and error which extended through the initial stages of Copa ’19, he found that putting DePaul on the right shoulder of parades, behind messi provided the best structure to the middle. In fact the success of this in Copa ’19 was so evident that in the following club season, even Udinese started played DePaul more and more on the right side of the midfield (among a few other roles). It is the evolution of Rodrigo now that he is one of the more versatile players in the world now in the middle of the pitch and large part is owed to scaloni also. Of course gio is still in his favor but he is now across from Lio.

      edit: part of this adjustment is also due to not having a consistent strong defensive RB presence.

  61. Emi Martinez:”I thought if I played well that game [the Community Shield], I would be No.1, but afterwards it still wasn’t clear who was going to start in the league,” Martinez said. “I was told that there was a 95% chance I would start against Fulham(and be the.no. 1 GK for Arsenal), but I just thought, ‘why not 100%?’ Something didn’t feel right. Everyone wanted me to stay, but that’s when I decided to go.

    “I wasn’t upset or emotional, I was proud I did it. When I arrived at Arsenal, there were nine goalkeepers in front of me. Every year I had to prove myself, but I left as No.1. That was my story done there.”

    “I was finally the No1 and I was ready for it,it took 10 years to get there. You train as a goalkeeper every day, but nobody prepares you for the story of your life.”

    “Nobody trains you to be frustrated, nobody trains you to cry. What about when you don’t play for four months? Will you keep going or will you be mentally dead? I could’ve done so much more over the years, but finally the world started to see what I’m capable of.”

  62. My first time on this panel but I’ve been following for over 3 years now and a lot of people are too negative.
    For example, Acuna, might not be the best lb,lwb,lm,lw, but can still offer something a lot of our players can’t. Scaloni knows better.
    To be honest I’m very impressed by scaloni, h3 has literally done the impossible, against all odds he rebuilt a team from nothing, he literally pulled out the Argentine ship from the deepest end of the ocean and has now brought it back to the shore and is currently preparing to launch it into the ocean and seas once again which is the wc qualifiers and the world cup ofcourse.

    As for Acuna I think in this line up he offers some stability defensively and going for war should be very useful from the flanks.. his service from the flanks is much needed and that why scaloni might prefer him, maybe only for this game.

    • nice debut post La Pulga Atomica. keep it pouring !!
      As fans we all have personal preferences. For ex – i just dont understand why Buendia , Benitez & Licha are not being called by Scaloni. That will always be there & such forums will have personal preferences being called out. But i am sure majority of fans ( including me ) fully agree that Scaloni has done a pretty good resurrection of this team.
      Also agree with you Acuna in team is a no brainer . Again i would have preferred he starting fresh in LaPaz. But coach knows best.

  63. Argentines have reached the semi-finals of the French Open in both men and women. While Schwartzman is no surprise as he is in good form, the female is an unknown qualifier, who has made history by reaching semis.

  64. I do not understand why Scaloni is using Acuna in Left Midfield, there are many players better than him in this squad to start ahead of him. Papu Gomez should start ahead of Acuna in Left Midfield.Acuna is the worst player of this squad what Scaloni sees in him I do not know. Never gave assist, pre assist, goal in any comepetitive matches.

    • Honestly man did Acuna steal your girlfriend or something because you seem to have a pathological hatred for poor Marcos Acuna.
      Marcos Acuna is a fantastic player and a very useful player because he can play anywhere on the leftside and he has a good combination of physicality, skill and tenacity to make him a very useful utility player, the type of player that you need on the bench, especially in brutal games like the WCQ where player don’t intend to foul you but rather break your legs, heck do you remember when Gago almost got knocked out against Peru in 2013?

      Acuna is ideal for a 4-4-2 system where he plays on the left side of the midfield 4, he is admittedly less effective in a 3 man midfield, which I imagine is what Scaloni is intending to use but if De Paul attacks, Paredes defends then Acuna will do both.
      I personally would use Nico Dominguez next to Paul and Paredes because he far more suited for a midfield 3 as b-2-b player but then again I’m not at training and I don’t know how these players are performing in practice.

      • Agree completely with u. Can’t think of a better utility player in our NT, than Acuna. Agree he will be best in 4 men mid. And in a 4_4_2 starting system, he’s the indesputible starter. But even in our 3 men mid he can give tough fight to Lo Celso. Acuna’s presence will definitely help Peredes in his duty as well as will give more freedom to De Paul to unleash his attacking potential, which is vital to our team now.

      • @elpipita
        I chuckled hard at your opener…almost made me spit out my coffee.

        @kavi
        Acuna is good, man…helps with both attack and defense. Before we bring out the pitch forks, let’s see how he performs today.

    • All what I remember is that acuña played as a midfielder in 3-man midfield in Copa semifinals match against brazil and one time in the match he was in a very good position to make an assist to Messi (or one of the forwards in general I can’t recall him) but he all what he did is playing a wide ball away from the reach of any argentine player. He is a very good crosser, the best in our team, but this can only be exploited well when plays as a winger in 4-man midfield, while in a 3-man midfield, it would be quite injustice to include him in the lineup instead of a player like dybala (who will be in the front 3 of course)

  65. Hey Guys , I am new here and this is my first ever post. I have been reading the posts and news from this site for more than an a year now , now I think its time to be one among you guys and what better occasion than the kick off our beloved team’s WC qualifier !!. I really hope Argentina kicks off to a flyer and get that WC trophy before Messi retires….I really hope… Cheers.

  69. Parades is struggling alone, need a more physical and hard working back line. Mid and attack are fine only need to tune in. Scaloni have a lot of option to substitute the players and change the rythm at second half. Papu, Dybala, Palacios

    • Don’t worry, by the time of the next WC, many young CBs will be established and we would be able to choose between the good and the very good, because currently we have several arising youngsters in defence area.

  73. As I always said, none of what is said here no matter how right or wrong will have ANY impact on how the team performs…………..I hope the right players are selected and the proper tactics are implemented and that is that!

    LETS GO ARGENTINA.

  75. Looks good ! I just hope that somehow he finds a way to play Dybala. Take out Acuna/Tagliafico, play Ocompos in the midfield and free up the space for Dybala upfront. Messi and Dybala must play a good 30 mins together, Dybala is the future and he should be given more time to build some chemistry with the GOAT. I think the period of transition is over, we all know what the team looks like-at least the top 13 players. Its time to stick to 75% of the group and deliver.
    No matter what XI is chosen, go Argentina ! 3-0.

  76. I do like acuna as a sub or can be starter in as left back as backup to tagla but i don’t like him as a stater in midfiel…. Instead of acuna we have enough midfield option to play, i don’t understand why acuna hv to be in midfield as he is regularly playing Rb in his pervious club and now in Sevilla… Maybe because it’s Ecuador scolani wants to add little bit physicality in mid… Bad luck for lo celso….

    If u ask me i would play ocompas as a mid where he can express his defensive side and offensiveside too… In front instead of him dybala can play…i really want to test another time messi-dybala-martinez in front in absence of kun… When kun come back it will be messi-kun-martinez, no place or playing time for dybala… I really liked Argentina in last copa Against chille… Dybala adds more creativity and goal threat at the same time,which would help messi to relax more….

  77. Not a bad team …. Always not sure about the defense because Montiel is not a top Right Back, Otamendi dont have the level anymore and Quarta have to prove his level is high like Argentinan think he is … But i like the team. Sad Lo Celso is not here to improve his connexion with Messi.

    The fighting spirit of Ocampos can be something very good

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