Site icon E28

Argentina Squad Announced for Friendly Against Angola β€” Messi Leads as New Faces Join

E28 Staff1
Argentina

Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has announced his squad for the upcoming friendly against Angola on November 14, with some familiar names missing and a few new talents earning their first call-up. The match will serve as preparation for future international fixtures, and since no other matches are scheduled, Argentina will hold a training camp in Spain ahead of the game.

According to reports, AFA president Claudio Tapia expressed concerns about disrupting local clubs for a relatively low-profile friendly, leading to a decision not to include players from Argentina’s domestic league.

β€œπ‘Ύπ’† 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 π’˜π’‚π’π’• 𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒃𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓 π’‡π’Šπ’π’‚π’π’„π’Šπ’‚π’ 𝒐𝒓 π’”π’„π’‰π’†π’…π’–π’π’Šπ’π’ˆ 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂 π’”π’Šπ’π’ˆπ’π’† π’‡π’“π’Šπ’†π’π’…π’π’š,” π‘»π’‚π’‘π’Šπ’‚ π’“π’†π’‘π’π’“π’•π’†π’…π’π’š π’”π’‚π’Šπ’….

No Local Players, but Fresh Talent Emerges

Scaloni supported the decision, agreeing that the balance between club and country commitments must be respected. As a result, Leandro Paredes (Boca Juniors), Gonzalo Montiel, Lautaro Rivero (River Plate), and Marcos AcuΓ±a have all been left out of the current lineup.

However, new opportunities have opened up for Joaquin Panicelli, Gianluca Prestianni, and Maximo Perone, who will all be wearing the Albiceleste colors for the first time. In addition, Valentin Barco, who debuted in March 2024 against El Salvador, returns to the squad.

Panicelli, 23, currently shines for Strasbourg in France, scoring nine goals in 11 Ligue 1 matches and marking his UEFA Conference League debut with a goal. Prestianni, 19, recently featured in the Under-20 World Cup and now plays for Benfica under Jose Mourinho, having contributed one goal and two assists in 17 appearances.

Meanwhile, 22-year-old Perone, a midfielder for Como in Italy, is known for his playmaking and defensive skills. Scaloni’s decision to call him up emphasizes his vision to blend youth with experience.

β€œπ‘Ύπ’†β€™π’“π’† π’π’π’π’Œπ’Šπ’π’ˆ 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 π’“π’†π’˜π’‚π’“π’… π’šπ’π’–π’π’ˆ 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕 π’”π’‰π’π’˜π’Šπ’π’ˆ π’‘π’“π’π’Žπ’Šπ’”π’† 𝒂𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒅,” π‘Ίπ’„π’‚π’π’π’π’Š 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒅.

Messi Leads Experienced Core

Despite the absence of several domestic players, Lionel Messi will once again captain the side, though his playing time may be managed carefully. The squad still boasts plenty of experience, including Rodrigo De Paul, Cristian Romero, JuliÑn Álvarez, Lautaro Martínez, Nicolas Otamendi, Nicolas Tagliafico, Giovani Lo Celso, and Nicolas Gonzalez.

Enzo Fernandez also makes his return after missing the previous international window due to a card suspension. With regular goalkeeper Emiliano β€œDibu” Martinez unavailable, Geronimo Rulli and Walter Benitez have been named to handle duties between the posts.

Argentina Squad for Angola Friendly

Argentina Goalkeepers: Geronimo Rulli, Walter Benitez
Defenders: Nahuel Molina, Juan Foyth, Cristian Romero, Nicolas Otamendi, Marcos Senesi, Nicolas Tagliafico, Valentin Barco
Midfielders: Alexis McAllister, Enzo Fernandez, Rodrigo de Paul, Giovanni Lo Celso, Thiago Almada, Maximo Perrone, Nicolas Paz
Forwards: Lionel Messi, JuliÑn Álvarez, Lautaro Martínez, Nicolas Gonzalez, Giuliano Simeone, Jose Manuel Lopez, Gianluca Prestiani, Joaquin Panicelli

Exit mobile version