The ultimate test. Without taking unnecessary risks, the Argentina national team directed by Lionel Scaloni will take on this Wednesday in Abu Dhabi an international friendly against United Arab Emiratesled by the Argentine Rodolfo “Vasco” Arruabarrenawhich will mean the only meeting before the debut in Qatar World Cup 2022 and can allow you to expand yours undefeated in 36 matches.
The match will be played from 12:30 (Argentina time) at the stadium Mohamed bin Zayed and will be broadcast by TyC Sports.
Less than a week from the debut in the World Cup in group C against Saudi ArabiaOn Tuesday 22 November, the team led by captain Lionel Messi has its only official football test, looking for a new victory to keep their undefeated history.
The “Scaloneta” has reached 35 games without losing since their last victory against Jamaica (3-0) last September, equaling a record set by Brazil (between 1993 and 1996) and Spain (between 2007 and 2009 ) they had registered.
In case of a new positive result, Argentina will be one game away from the longest streak in history, to which it belongs Italy with 37 matches unbeaten between 2018 and 2021.
Beyond that Scaloni is looking for answers to the lack of Gio Lo Celso, he has already anticipated that he will not run “any risk” and only players in good physical condition will play. Therefore, Cristian Romero, Marcos Acuña and Nicolás González would be excluded.
Yes, it is a fact that the captain Lionel Messi It will be from the beginning, probably together with Di María and Julián Álvarez, given that Lautaro Martínez, the goalscorer of the Scaloni cycle, would also think about it.
The rivals, the United Arab Emirates, number 46 in the FIFA ranking, will not be a demanding opponent and the presence of Arruabarrena on the bench ensures the “friendly” character of the match.
“Vasco”, a former coach of Tigre and Boca Juniors, joked that he had already warned his managers that they could not “touch” Messi because if anything happened to him he would not be able to return to Argentina.
The repercussions of his statements were so far-reaching that the coach took advantage of the last press conference to clarify that it was a “joke” given that he would “never” tell a player to play “carefully”.
The Argentine took charge of the United Arab Emirates in February this year and was close to fighting for World Cup qualification but was eliminated in the last stage by Australia, who then beat Peru -on penalties- in the playoffs.
–Possible formations–
Argentina: Emiliano Martinez; Gonzalo Montiel, Juan Foyth or Lautaro Martínez, Nicolás Otamendi, Lisandro Martínez, Nahuel Molina; Rodrigo De Paul, Leandro Paredes, Alexis Mac Allister or Angel Di María; Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez. DT: Lionel Scaloni.
United Arab Emirates: Khalid Eisa; Abdul Salam Mohammed, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khaled Al Hashemi and Shaheen Abdul Rahman; Ali Salmeen and Abdullah Hamad; Harib Abdullah, Adbullah Ramadan, Caio Canedo; Ali Mabkhout. DT: Rodolfo Arruabarrena.
Start time: 12.30 (Argentina time).
stage: Mohamed Bin Zayed (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates).
TV: TyC Sport.
Source: Clarin
Jason Root is the go-to source for sports coverage at News Rebeat. With a passion for athletics and an in-depth knowledge of the latest sports trends, Jason provides comprehensive and engaging analysis of the world of sports.