Alexis Mac Allister of Brighton is rumored to be in the Argentina starting XI with Franco Armani set to start.

Mac Allister could find himself starting in Friday’s World Cup qualifying match for Argentina against Venezuela as coach Lionel Scaloni will have many players missing. Rodrigo De Paul and Leandro Paredes are both expected to start in midfield but Gio Lo Celso, who would normally start alongside them, is suspended which opens the door for a midfielder.

That third spot in midfield can go to either Alexis Mac Allister or Exequiel Palacios. According to Doble Amarilla, both of those two players are fighting for a place in the eleven.

Franco Armani is also expected to be the starting goalkeeper. Emiliano “Dibu” Martinez of Aston Villa is also suspended and veteran Franco Armani would start in his place. Here is the rumored line-up:

Armani; Molina, Pezzella, Otamendi, Tagliafico; Paredes, De Paul, Palacios or Mac Allister; Messi; Nicolás Gonzalez, Joaquín Correa or Julián Álvarez

Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni will be missing the following players for the match against Venezuela on Friday in the World Cup qualifiers:

Gonzalo Montiel (suspended)
Lisandro Martínez (injured, not with the team)
Ángel Di Maria (injured, not expected to play)
Lautaro Martínez (COVID, will not play)
Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez (suspended)
Emiliano Buendía (suspended)
Cristian “Cuti” Romero (suspended)
Gio Lo Celso (suspended)

The Argentina national team will play two matches in March. The first against Venezuela on March 25 and the second on March 29 against Ecuador.

Julián Álvarez of River Plate or Joaquín Correa of Inter could start for Argentina in against Venezuela in the World Cup qualifiers with Lionel Messi and Nicolás González.

Álvarez could get his first start ever for the Argentina national team on Friday with Lautaro Martínez out due to COVID. According to TNT Sports, coach Lionel Scaloni could go with one of the two players to play alongside Lionel Messi and Nicolás González up front.

As we reported, Lautaro Martinez tested positive for COVID and will miss Friday’s World Cup qualifying match. Should he test negative before the match against Ecuador, he could be selected for that match.

Lionel Messi trained with the Argentina national team and will play in Friday’s World Cup qualifier.

Messi landed in Argentina on Tuesday with PSG team mates Ángel Di María and Leandro Paredes. The three players all trained on Tuesday with Di Maria training away from the reset of the team.

While Messi missed PSG’s league match against Monaco on Sunday with the flu, he is not expected to miss the qualifying matches. According to Gastón Edul, the Argentine trained very well and felt better. He will play against Venezuela in Friday’s match.

Argentina play Venezuela on Friday in a World Cup qualifier and play their second match on March 29 against Ecuador.