Julián Álvarez, Giuliano Simeone and Nahuel Molina are all out of Argentina’s match against Angola on Friday.
The three Argentine players will not take part in Friday’s match as Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni will not have them available for the game. The official Argentina national team account posted that they did not complete in time the health procedures related to the yellow fever vaccine required to enter Angola.
Leandro Paredes will join the Argentina national team for their match against Angola.
Paredes is going to be with the Argentina national team for their friendly match on Friday. According to Gastón Edul, the 31 year old will travel and the team after Boca’s 2-0 win against River Plate.
Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni did not call-up any players based in Argentina for the friendly match against Angola on Friday but Paredes will be joining the team. Scaloni also called-up Kevin Mac Allister to the team while Enzo Fernández has stated that he will not be joining the team. Here is the updated list of players:
Goalkeepers:
Gerónimo Rulli (Marseille)
Walter Benítez (Crystal Palace)
Defenders:
Nahuel Molina (Atlético Madrid)
Juan Foyth (Villarreal)
Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur)
Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica)
Marcos Senesi (Bournemouth)
Nicolás Tagliafico (Lyon)
Valentín Barco (Racing Strasbourg)
Kevin Mac Allister (Union Saint-Gilloise)
Midfielders:
Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool)
Rodrigo De Paul (Inter Miami)
Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis)
Thiago Almada (Atlético Madrid)
Máximo Perrone (Como)
Nicolás Paz (Como)
Leandro Paredes (Boca Juniors)
Forwards:
Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan)
Julián Álvarez (Atlético Madrid)
Nicolás González (Atlético Madrid)
Giuliano Simeone (Atlético Madrid)
José Manuel López (Palmeiras)
Gianluca Prestianni (Benfica)
Joaquín Panichelli (Racing Strasbourg)
Boca Juniors defeated River Plate 2-0 at La Bombonera in Matchday 15 of the Argentine Apertura, securing a place in the next stage of the tournament and putting River’s Copa Libertadores 2026 qualification in doubt.
The match, watched by a full stadium and international figures including Dua Lipa, was defined by goals at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second. Exequiel Zeballos opened the scoring in the 45th minute, finishing a play inside the box, and Miguel Merentiel extended the lead two minutes after the second half began, after a fast counterattack.
Boca, managed by Claudio Úbeda, displayed control in key moments and maintained defensive solidity to prevent River from reacting. The win placed Boca at the top of the standings and gave the team a direct spot in the 2026 Copa Libertadores.
For River, managed by Marcelo Gallardo, the loss deepened concerns about their campaign. The team remains sixth in its group, currently in a playoff position, and must depend on other results or win the tournament to secure qualification. River sits third in the annual table with 52 points, only one ahead of Argentinos Juniors and Deportivo Riestra, both with one match less.
The defeat also extended an unfavorable statistic: River has lost 12 matches in 2025 after conceding first and has been unable to recover in any of them.
Inter defeated Lazio 2-0 in Matchday 11 of Serie A, with Lautaro Martínez opening the scoring in the 2nd minute.
The Argentine forward received the ball while entering the penalty area from the left side and struck it first time toward the far top corner. The goalkeeper could not react and watched as the ball hit the net, giving Inter a 1-0 lead.
Martínez has now scored four goals in Serie A this season and ten across all competitions, including four in the Champions League and two in the FIFA Club World Cup.
With this result, Inter reached 24 points, matching Roma at the top of the table but leading on goal difference. After the international break, Inter will face AC Milan in the city derby.
Argentina’s U-17 national team concluded the group stage of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar with a 7-0 victory over Fiji at the Aspire High Performance Complex. The team, coached by Diego Placente, finished first in Group D with three wins in three matches and a +11 goal difference.
The scoring began early with Uriel Ojeda opening the match for Argentina. Mateo Martínez added two goals in the first half, while Ojeda completed his hat-trick in the second. Santiago Silveira and Simón Escobar also found the net to close the match.
Argentina dominated possession and created multiple scoring chances from the start. Fiji’s goalkeeper Melvin Prakash made several key saves to prevent a larger scoreline, denying shots from Gómez Mattar, De Martis, and Zalazar. Despite his efforts, Argentina maintained control in all areas of the pitch.
The Argentine lineup featured Juan Manuel Centurión; Misael Zalazar, Mateo Martínez, Thiago Yanez, and Simón Escobar; Santiago Espíndola, Gastón Bouhier, and Uriel Ojeda; Ramiro Tulián, Can Armando Güner, and Facundo Jainikoski. Placente made second-half substitutions, bringing in Esquivel, Gómez Mattar, and De Martis.
This year’s U-17 World Cup includes 48 teams for the first time in history. The top two teams from each of the 12 groups and the eight best third-placed teams advance to the Round of 32. Argentina’s strong finish positions it among the top seeds for the knockout stage.
Argentina has never won the U-17 World Cup. Its best results include third-place finishes in 1991, 1995, and 2003, and fourth-place finishes in 2001, 2013, and 2023. The team will now wait for confirmation of its next opponent in the Round of 16.
