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.
“𝑾𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒃𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒍𝒚,” 𝑻𝒂𝒑𝒊𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒅𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅.
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 Acuña 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.
“𝑾𝒆’𝒓𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒅,” 𝑺𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒊 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, Julián 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 “Dibu” 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, Julián Álvarez, Lautaro Martínez, Nicolas Gonzalez, Giuliano Simeone, Jose Manuel Lopez, Gianluca Prestiani, Joaquin Panicelli
