Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martínez and Julián Álvarez could all start for Argentina.
Messi, Lautaro and Álvarez could be the three strikers up front against Bolivia on Tuesday. According to ESPN Argentina, Lionel Scaloni is considering starting the three together in Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier.
Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni started both Lionel Messi and Julián Álvarez against Venezuela on Thursday, Lautaro was substituted into the match.
Alexis Mac Allister could be in the starting eleven for Argentina vs. Bolivia.
Mac Allister missed Argentina’s 1-1 draw vs. Venezuela due to injury but he is doing better from his injury. According to Gastón Edul, the Argentine has a good chance being int he starting eleven.
The Argentina national team staff will evaluate him more during Monday’s training.
Valentín Carboni has torn his ACL.
Carboni was dropped from the Argentina national team and tests have confirmed the injury. According to Gastón Edul, tests were done on Carboni and it has confirmed the news.
No report yet on how long he will be out for with the Argentina national team and Olympique Marseille.
Lionel Messi and Nicolás Otamendi are the two leading goal scorers for Argentina in the 2026 South American World Cup qualifiers.
Messi did not score for Argentina in their 1-1 draw vs. Venezuela on Thursday but it was Otamendi who scored the goal for Lionel Scaloni’s team. It was Otamendi’s third goal in the 2026 South American World Cup qualifiers, tying him with Lionel Messi, also on three goals.
For Lionel Messi, he scored in the first match of the qualifiers against Ecuador and he scored two against Peru. For Nicolás Otamendi, he scored against Paraguay at home, Brazil away and Venezuela.
Nicolás González is in third place with two goals. He scored against Bolivia and Colombia.
Both Messi and Otamendi are second in the 2026 South American World Cup qualifiers, only behind Darwin Núñez of Uruguay who has five goals.
Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni stated that it was not possible to play against Venezuela due to the condition of the pitch.
Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina drew 1-1 against Venezuela in Thursday’s South American World Cup qualifier. The match was delayed by 30 minutes due to heavy rain on the pitch. Speaking at a press conference after the match, here is what Scaloni had to say about the pitch and the match:
“It is clear that the conditions were not suitable for the event, it was not possible to play.
“When the match cannot be played, it cannot be played. Today the conditions were not right. We had several clear chances, they tried a lot from outside the area and played long, as the match had to be”.
“We have to consider the conditions, beyond today’s match, of the South American qualifiers. We adapt to all their difficulties. This team always competes”.
“Competitively we are doing well, adding many young players. The fact that they can contribute by being here with us is a joy.”
