Argentina meets Puerto Rico for the first time: Will Messi start? What adjustments does Scaloni have?

In the first friendly match of the international match in October, Argentina defeated Venezuela 1-0. Lo Celso scored the winning goal and dedicated the goal to Miguel Angel Russo. The scene was very touching. Next up, Argentina will play against Puerto Rico – this is the first meeting between the two sides in history, so there is a lot of anticipation for this matchup!

However, facing the friendly match with this Caribbean team, Scaloni plans to send out a substitute lineup to try to allow all selected players to get playing time. At the same time, he will examine those players who are not often selected for the national team, discover new players, and collect references for the determination of the final roster of the World Cup. In fact, most of the players in the starting lineup are not expected to play against Venezuela; in addition, Messi will also be evaluated physically to determine whether he can play in this game.

The coaching staff of the Argentina team believes that this overseas training session has no points pressure and is an ideal opportunity for all (or most) selected players to get playing time. Therefore, the coaching staff will use this matchup to give some players who failed to appear on the field a chance to play.

It is worth noting that the team will have several players absent: Enzo Fernandez retired from the national team due to injury and has returned to Chelsea; Franco Mastantono suffered a muscle injury during a training session with the Argentina team and also missed this game.

On the other hand, River Plate central defender Lautaro Rivero is likely to make his adult national team debut in this game. Also likely to make his debut is Palmeiras' Anibal Moreno, and the two may even enter the starting lineup directly.

[Scaloni's adjustment plan and arrangement for Messi's use]

The final starting lineup of the Argentine team will be determined soon, and there are still several suspense issues to be resolved. Despite being selected for the national team with slight physical discomfort, goalkeeper Martin, who started the game against Venezuela, still hopes to continue to play, but the final decision remains in the hands of the coaching staff. The situation of left back Marcos Acuña is different: Scaloni originally wanted to arrange for him to play, but Acuña was in poor physical condition when he was selected this time. The coaching staff hopes that he can return to River Plate in good condition, so Nicolas Tagliafico will most likely serve as the starting left back.

Gonzalo Montiel will most likely be on the bench, and Leonardo Valerdi, Nicolas Otamendi, Rodrigo DePaul, Alexis McAllister, and Giuliano Simeone are likely to return to the starting lineup.

In addition, Messi has returned to the team for training, but whether he will start against Puerto Rico is still doubtful, but what is certain is that he will be included in the game squad. If Messi is unable to start the game, Nico Paas is likely to enter the starting lineup again. However, if Messi's physical evaluation is still good, there is also the possibility that Messi and Nico Paas will start at the same time.