Argentina's Squad for Friendly Matches Ahead of Copa América
The Argentine national football team announced on Monday a list of 29 players for the upcoming international fixtures as they prepare for the next edition of the Copa América, where they are the reigning champions after their 2021 victory.
Coach Lionel Scaloni has included 22 of the 26 players who clinched the victory in the 2022 Qatar World Cup, such as captain Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) and Ángel Di María (Benfica). The squad also sees the return of Atlético Madrid's Ángel Correa and Ajax goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli.
Missing from the list for the upcoming friendlies against Ecuador on June 9 in Chicago and Guatemala on June 14 in Washington are players like Paulo Dybala (Roma), Juan Foyth (Villarreal), and Thiago Almada (Atlanta United).
In the Copa América group stage, the "Scaloneta" will be the main favorite in Group A, where they will compete for one of the two spots in the next round against Peru, Chile, and Canada.
Barring injuries or other unforeseen issues, 26 of the 29 players selected by Scaloni for these international fixtures are expected to represent Argentina in the upcoming Copa América, which concludes on July 14.
Here is the complete list:
*Goalkeepers:*
- Franco Armani (River Plate)
- Gerónimo Rulli (Ajax, NED)
- Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa, ENG)
*Defenders:*
- Gonzalo Montiel (Nottingham Forest, ENG)
- Nahuel Molina (Atlético de Madrid, ESP)
- Leonardo Balerdi (Olympique de Marsella, FRA)
- Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur, ENG)
- Germán Pezzella (Real Betis, ESP)
- Lucas Martínez Quarta (Fiorentina, ITA)
- Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica, POR)
- Lisandro Martínez (Manchester United, ENG)
- Marcos Acuña (Sevilla, ESP)
- Nicolás Tagliafico (Lyon, FRA)
- Valentín Barco (Brighton, ENG)
*Midfielders:*
- Guido Rodríguez (Real Betis, ESP)
- Leandro Paredes (Roma, ITA)
- Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool, ENG)
- Rodrigo de Paul (Atlético de Madrid, ESP)
- Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen, GER)
- Enzo Fernández (Chelsea, ENG)
- Giovani Lo Celso (Tottenham Hotspur, ENG)
*Forwards:*
- Ángel Di María (Benfica, POR)
- Valentín Carboni (Monza, ITA)
- Lionel Messi (Inter Miami, USA)
- Ángel Correa (Atlético de Madrid, ESP)
- Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United, ENG)
- Nicolás González (Fiorentina, ITA)
- Lautaro Martínez (Inter de Milán, ITA)
- Julián Álvarez (Manchester City, ENG)
This squad will be looking to build momentum and fine-tune their preparations for defending their title at the Copa América.