The moment has finally come for Argentina. After a long wait, the reigning Copa America champions will finally make their debut in Qatar 2022 when they take on Saudi Arabia today, Nov. 22. Lisandro Martinez is not part of the starting eleven, which may take some by surprise.
Lionel Scaloni, who got the national team back on its feet since taking over after Russia 2018, has selected 26 players for the tournament but made two last-minute changes, with Angel Correa and Thiago Almada making the list on short notice.
However, the squad has names that were part of Scaloni's tenure in the last four years, and so does the starting lineup. In fact, Martinez's impressive level at Manchester United wasn't enough for the manager to make changes at the back.
Nicolas Otamendi chosen over Lisandro Martinez in Argentina
Lisandro Martinez will be on the bench against Saudi Arabia because Scaloni has preferred to start Cristian Romero and Nicolas Otamendi, who have started in most games of the 2021 Copa America and the Conmebol qualifiers.
Argentina lineup vs. Saudi Arabia: Martinez, Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico, De Paul, Paredes, Papu Gomez, Messi, Lautaro, Di Maria.
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