The Argentine national team, led by Lionel Messi, is set to reunite for the next round of 2026 CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers, where they’ll face Paraguay on Thursday and then take on Peru in Buenos Aires next Tuesday.

Ahead of these matchups, Argentina announced on their official social media that defender German Pezzella has been ruled out of the squad. Despite initially being called up by head coach Lionel Scaloni, Pezzella was left off the roster due to physical setbacks.

The former Real Betis defender is dealing with a muscle strain in his right calf. While he’s close to being cleared to play for his club, River Plate, Pezzella has been sidelined from official action for a few weeks due to this injury.

This marks the second loss to Scaloni’s roster since the initial squad announcement, following Nicolas Gonzalez’s absence. Gonzalez sustained a quad strain in early October and has yet to return to action for Juventus.

German Pezzella of Argentina controls the ball during the CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 Group A match between Argentina and Peru at Hard Rock Stadium. Rich Storry/Getty Images

With just three days before the first fixture, Scaloni has not yet announced whether he’ll call up a replacement. For now, Cristian Romero, Leonardo Balerdi, Nicolas Otamendi, Nehuen Perez, and Lisandro Martinez remain the available defenders on the team.

Argentina’s upcoming matches

The squad, captained by Messi, will travel to Paraguay to face off at Defensores del Chaco Stadium on Thursday, November 14, before returning to Buenos Aires to host Peru at La Bombonera on Tuesday, November 19.

Argentina currently top the CONMEBOL standings with 22 points, followed by Colombia with 19 points. Paraguay sit in sixth place with 13 points and are looking for a win to stay competitive, while Peru find theirself near elimination, second-to-last with just six points.

Argentina’s roster for Qualifiers

  • Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez, Walter Benitez, Geronimo Rulli.
  • Defenders: Nahuel Molina, Gonzalo Montiel, Cristian Romero, Leonardo Balerdi, Nicolas Otamendi, Nehuen Perez, Lisandro Martinez, Nicolas Tagliafico.
  • Midfielders: Enzo Fernandez, Leandro Paredes, Exequiel Palacios, Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Giovani Lo Celso, Enzo Barrenechea, Thiago Almada, Facundo Buonanotte, Nicolas Paz.
  • Forwards: Lionel Messi, Alejandro Garnacho, Julian Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez, Valentin Castellanos.