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.
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.