Argentina’s starting line-up for the match against Croatia is confirmed and Maxi MEZA will start.
Three new faces who didn’t start (or even play) for Argentina against Iceland have found themselves in the starting eleven for the second match. Gabriel MERCADO, Marcos ACUNA and Enzo PEREZ will all start for Jorge SAMPAOLI. In a 3-4-3, here are the eleven:
CABALLERO; TAGLIAFICO, OTAMENDI, MERCADO; ACUNA, MASCHERANO, Enzo, SALVIO; MEZA, AGUERO, MESSI
Unconfirmed reports by Fox Sports are claiming that Maxi MEZA will start for Argentina ahead of Cristian PAVON.
It’s no secret that coach Jorge SAMPAOLI will make changes for Argentina’s second group stage match against Croatia but one of the main question marks was which of Maxi MEZA or Cristian PAVON would start. With Angel DI MARIA out of the starting eleven, one of the two are expected to start.
However, per Fox Sports, Maxi MEZA will get the nod ahead of the Boca Juniors man. Here’s what they claim is the starting line-up:
CABALLERO; MERCADO, OTAMENDI, TAGLIAFICO, SALVIO, ENZO, MASCHERANO, ACUNA; MESSI, MEZA, AGUERO
Argentina coach Jorge SAMPAOLI and Marcos ACUÑA held a press conference on Wednesday.
SAMPAOLI and ACUÑA discussed the team, the players, Lionel MESSI and more. Jorge SAMPAOLI has stated that he has yet to confirm the formation to the players. Here’s what he had to say:
“I still haven’t confirmed the formation to the players. The World Cup is complicated for every team. We are convinced that we came here for something. The team’s unity will make sure that this team makes it to the next round.
“I believe that in the first match we were unable to take advantage of the favorable chances we had. We will look to qualify from the beginning of the match.”
Jorge SAMPAOLI also spoke about the match against Croatia:
“While planning, we thought that this match needed a change of system. The changes in players has to do with the change of system. I think Croatia will go with a different plan from the one against Nigeria, but they’ll keep their strong counter attack. I respect this Croatian generation a lot.”
He was also full of praise for Lionel MESSI and Cristian PAVON:
“Cristian PAVON has enormous potential. We very much have him in mind.
“When MESSI scores, we all scream it together and we feel a part of it. But when we lose, we throw all the responsibility onto him. Every Argentine has a MESSI 10 shirt, like we had of MARADONA during his time. It’s important to take advantage of the spaces which MESSI generates when there’s two or three players on him.”
Marcos ACUÑA also gave his thoughts on the match:
“If I’m chosen to play, I will give my best, no matter of the position I’d be playing in. When I was at Ferro, I started off as a number 3. I feel comfortable.
“We have analyzed the opponent all week and I believe we will have a great match.”
The team and Jorge SAMPAOLI resumed their usual morning practice at their base camp in Bronnitsy, with the focus of avoiding any possibility of a World Cup elimination.
Shortly after their training session, the entire Argentine delegation embarks on a two-hour flight to the city Nizhny Novgorod, where they will play their second group match against Croatia.
[SELECCIÓN MAYOR] La Delegación @Argentina ya está en Nizhni Novgorod. Aquí algunas postales 📷 del arribo 👇 pic.twitter.com/6lJs3Bd4nP
— Selección Argentina (@Argentina) June 20, 2018
They have already arrived at their temporary base and from the looks of it, the team is in good spirit ahead of the crucial game this coming Thursday.
The most talked about topic at the moment is who will SAMPAOLI choose to start in that match and what would be the formation which you can read in our previous post.
In about 45 minutes, SAMPAOLI and one of the designated player will address the media at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium. Stay tuned for all the latest updates.
Já estamos no estádio de Nizhny Novgorod. Em 45 minutos, Jorge Sampaoli e um jogador vão atender a imprensa em entrevista coletiva #copanoge pic.twitter.com/Fyt4uFLlQn
— Cahê Mota (@cahemota) June 20, 2018
The National Team trained one last time in Bronnitsy ahead of their match against Croatia on Thursday and the plan appears to be a 3-4-3 against Croatia.
There will be several changes in players for the game as Marcos ROJO, Lucas BIGLIA and Angel DI MARIA all come out with a slight chance that Maxi MEZA starts on the bench as well. Per a report by TyC Sports, this will be Argentina’s starting eleven:
CABALLERO; MERCADO, OTAMENDI, TAGLIAFICO; SALVIO, MASCHERANO, MEZA or PEREZ, ACUNA; PAVON, AGUERO, MESSI
The only remaining doubt is that of Maxi MEZA or the veteran Enzo PEREZ in midfield.
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