The Europa League Round of 16 continues on Thursday with 15 Argentine players remaining.

The big match of the week is Manchester United, with Lisandro Martínez and Alejandro Garnacho, hosting FC Barcelona. The first match ended 2-2 and there is all to play for on Thursday.

Nicolás Capaldo scored last week in the Europa League. The 24 year old scored for RB Salzburg in their 1-0 win vs. AS Roma. He will be up against Paulo Dybala.

Gonzalo Montiel, Marcos Acuña, Erik Lamela and Lucas Ocampos have a 3-0 lead against Walter Benítez and PSV. Lucas Ocampos scored for Sevilla in the first match.

Leandro Paredes, Ángel Di María and Matías Soulé are away against Nantes. The first match ended 1-1 in Italy. Exequiel Palacios and Bayer Leverkusen are away against Monaco after losing the first match 3-2 in Germany.

Mateo Tanlongo and Sporting are away against Midtjylland following a 1-1 draw. Gerónimo Rulli and Ajax are away against Union Berlin, after a scoreless draw in the first match. Here are the matches involving Argentine players:

Manchester United (Lisandro Martínez, Alejandro Garnacho) vs. FC Barcelona
AS Roma (Paulo Dybala) vs. RB Salzburg (Nicolás Capaldo)
Nantes vs. Juventus (Leandro Paredes, Ángel Di María, Matías Soulé)
Union Berlin vs Ajax (Gerónimo Rulli)
Rennes vs. Shakhtar Donetsk
PSV (Walter Benítez) vs. Sevilla (Gonzalo Montiel, Marcos Acuña, Erik Lamela, Lucas Ocampos)
Monaco vs. Bayer Leverkusen (Exequiel Palacios)
Midtjyland vs. Sporting (Mateo Tanlongo)

Emiliano Dibu Martínez spoke about the World Cup final, his saves and his achievements.

Dibu Martínez gave an interview with SC_ESPN where he spoke about Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria’s performances at the World Cup. In the same interview, Dibu also commented on his save on Kolo Muani in the World Cup final. Here is what he had to say:

“It was a very fast save. The goalkeeper kicked it, Ota (Nicolás Otamendi) cleared it, the midfielder controlled it and cleared it and it was a perfect pass between Ota and Germán (Pezzella). I find Muani with the ball inside the penalty area and he’s going to break.

“I tried to attack him a bit diagonally to narrow the angle a little bit and show him the near post a bit. I stretched out my leg and arm, praying that he would go there. I got my body so firm that the ball bounced very hard. They are very fast moments and sometimes you have to have luck. We could have won it on the counter attack.”

Martínez also spoke about his performance:

“I didn’t blame myself that we could have won it in 90 minutes. It ended and I said “wow, what a football game.” It was the best football match I played in my life.”

On what he told Kylian Mbappe after the match:

“Obviously he played a great match, that it was a source of pride for his entire country.”

On his biggest achievements:

“Winning a trophy, The Best, is something individual. But achieving that many boys want to go to the goal is my greatest pride. I would put everything aside to bring joy to the boys and the people of Argentina. Today, knowing that they have you as an idol or that they want to be goalkeepers, makes me want to continue and improve myself, so that they have someone.

“Not only is playing football good for the boys, it gets them off drugs, off the streets, it gives them a path. The Argentine has a history as a football player. Getting kids off the street who want to be professionals would also help the country.”

Emiliano Dibu Martínez commented on both Lionel Messi and Ángel Di María, and their performances at the World Cup.

Dibu Martínez spoke about Lionel Messi winning the Man of the Match awards at the World Cup and Messi’s future with the Argentina national team. Speaking in an interview with SC_ESPN, here is what he had to say:

“On a collective level, individually, many players were at the top level. Guys that were playing in their first World Cup, including myself. We knew how to take the pressure off of one side and enjoy the World Cup. Obviously, the 10 (Lionel Messi) helped us in every match.

“I told him “stop winning the Man of the Match in every game, leave something for the poor.” I think we got along very well. Hopefully it wasn’t his last World Cup. It took so much from him to win titles with the national team and now that we have won three finals in a row, why not keep trying. Once the door is opened for you, you have to continue walking through the tunnel. I think he has more.”

Martínez also commented on Ángel Di María and his performances in the finals for Argentina:

“Ángelito did not play in the semis and in the final he was our best player. You need guys who stand out at key moments. When Ángelito left the pitch, I applauded him on the inside because I think he gave us the World Cup final.

“He was the most decisive player in the finals. He did it at the Maracanã, he did it at Wembley, where he played a great game. He had a knock before the final against France and for the way he played the final, I will be eternally grateful.”

Gio Lo Celso is back training with Villarreal.

Lo Celso is back on the pitch with his Villarreal team mates. The 26 year old last played in October against Athletic Bilbao where he was substituted out injured.

He would miss the World Cup with the Argentina national team due to a hamstring injury. Villarreal uploaded a video on Wednesday with Lo Celso back training.

¡Vamos, muchacho 💛!

🇦🇷 @LoCelsoGiovani 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/anWSbs8nCY

— Villarreal CF (@VillarrealCF) February 22, 2023