Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez are set to start as Argentina’s central defensive pairing in Tuesday’s 2026 FIFA World Cup opener against Algeria, according to journalist Gastón Edul.
In recent training sessions, coach Lionel Scaloni tested both a back four and a back five as he evaluated his options following Nicolás Tagliafico’s injury. However, it appears that Scaloni has decided to stick with a more traditional four-man defense for the team’s opening match.
Romero and Martínez were regular starters during Argentina’s successful 2024 Copa America campaign and have formed one of the national team’s most trusted defensive partnerships in recent years.
what if arg gets spain in the next round ? :)))
Whether 4-4-2 or 4-3-3, if Almada is playing, he should play the kind of game Alvarez plays. Pressing upfront forcing their defence to make hurried passes, chasing the goalkeeper forcing some error etc.. Lautaro does not press much. He used to do so in his earlier days.
Scaloni will go with back 4 after all. Good. 3-5-2 is not my cup of tea and generally this formation is harder to get right compared to back 4. Although we might still see it implemented if needed as a tactical adjustment.
3-5-2 is best for last 20 minute for maintain lead and control game.
The team play with 4 in back for decades. You can t make so huge change suddenly in world cup game. Scaloni play safe mode here and i am with him. Last time we start a world cup game with 3 in back was 2014 against Bosnia !!! Sabella change it in HALFTIME !!!!! because the team was awful and we never try it again since then .
All I have to say is PLEASE don’t get injured.
It is good to start with a normal structure of 4-4-2 or 4-3-3. 3 man defense is always more complex to play and need lot of practice. First game, its better to keep simple. Hope we keep a clean sheet. I will take a draw, as long as we don’t lose. A simple win will be great. No injuries, no cards. basically no drama.
Echo this 1000%. I don’t need a 7-1 or have to force a draw. Just a clinical win, bang, move on to next, and so on all the way, please.