Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni is set to play a midfield four against Algeria.

Lionel Scaloni will play Facundo Medina on the left side of the back line, Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez as the two center backs with four players in midfield. According to Gastón Edul, Scaloni will play Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister and Thiago Almada.

Facundo Medina is set to start for Argentina against Algeria.

Medina will start in place of the injured Nicolás Tagliafico. According to Gastón Edul, Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni will play Facundo Medina as left back in a four man back line.

He will play on the left with both Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez as the center back duo.

Lautaro Martínez is expected to start alongside Lionel Messi in Argentina’s 2026 FIFA World Cup opener against Algeria.

The Inter Milan striker arrives in excellent form after helping his club win the Serie A title and is set to lead the attack for Lionel Scaloni’s team. His main competition for the spot, Julián Álvarez, missed Argentina’s recent friendly matches due to discomfort in one of his ankles but has since recovered.

According to reports, Scaloni’s plan is to give Álvarez some minutes off the bench if the match situation allows it.

Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez are set to start as Argentina’s central defensive pairing in Tuesday’s 2026 FIFA World Cup opener against Algeria, according to journalist Gastón Edul.

In recent training sessions, coach Lionel Scaloni tested both a back four and a back five as he evaluated his options following Nicolás Tagliafico’s injury. However, it appears that Scaloni has decided to stick with a more traditional four-man defense for the team’s opening match.

Romero and Martínez were regular starters during Argentina’s successful 2024 Copa America campaign and have formed one of the national team’s most trusted defensive partnerships in recent years.

Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni spoke about the team, Lionel Messi and Emiliano Martínez.

Lionel Scaloni held a press conference on Monday with Nicolás Otamendi where he spoke about the team. Here is what he had to say:

“We are calm and we will face a good team. We are arriving at a good moment.

“We are in the same state as the first day, balance is the word. We try our best for our national team, our country. Beyond the results, we have stayed calm and commited.”

Scaloni also spoke about Lionel Messi:

“Leo has always been there and has always been fundamental, now he will be even more so and he looks good. Julián bad the ankle problem but his recovery has born fruit and for tomorrow, he is available and is an option.”

On Emiliano Martínez:

“Emiliano is fine. If everything continues well, I think he’s going to play.

“We always try out variants, they are situations that can arrise at the start or during the match. The essence of the team will be the same but yes, we have tried options.

“In recent years, we have reached this situation because we were able to decompress a bit. Playing calmly was the key. And yes, in any case, tension is felt, it happens to everyone but it’s important to feel proud of giving everything no matter what happens.

“I think we are going to face a good team, Algeria has earned its place at the World Cup. There have been matches that demonstrate this in this tournament, there are no easy games.

“Algeria have good players up front and midfielders with a good touch. They also have the ability to adapt to different schemes. They are a team to respect and will surely make things difficilult for us.”