Argentina are preparing for their debut in the 2026 World Cup, which will be against Algeria this Tuesday, July 16. The presence of Lionel Messi is expected in the match. The game will take place at Kansas City Stadium for the first date of Group J, a commitment with which they will begin the defense of the title obtained in Qatar.
Lionel Scaloni is finalizing the starting eleven, which will feature the stellar presence of Lionel Messi. However, he still maintains some doubts. Scaloni has one of the heaviest artillery in the World Cup, spearheaded by the current Inter Miami star, who will contest his sixth World Cup.
The biggest star of the Albiceleste has contested a total of 23 World Cup games and has scored 13 goals. Only in the South Africa edition did he go scoreless. In the 2022 World Cup, he delivered with 7 goals.
Argentina’s predicted lineup
The main news is that Emiliano Martinez will be the starting goalkeeper. He arrived at the preparation in the United States with a fracture in the ring finger of his right hand, which prevented him from participating in the previous friendlies. However, Dibu progressed and will be the starter.
Lionel Messi of Argentina
From there, Scaloni continues to have doubts due to physical conditions, and the main doubt resides at right back. Nahuel Molina would win the battle over Gonzalo Montiel. This comes after both started their preparation separately due to muscular injuries. Added to that is an injury to Nicolas Tagliafico. He suffered a tear in the soleus of his left leg against Honduras and was completely ruled out.
Argentina expected lineup: Emiliano Martinez; Nahuel Molina or Gonzalo Montiel, Cristian Romero, Nicolas Otamendi, Facundo Medina; Rodrigo de Paul, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister, Thiago Almada; Lionel Messi and Lautaro Martinez.
Algeria’s predicted starting XI
The Arabic squad will have its possible starting lineup under the technical direction of Vladimir Petkovic. The Bosnian-born coach usually plays with a 4-3-3 formation. The starting goalkeeper is Luca Zidane, son of the French star Zinedine Zidane, who chose his roots to contest the 2026 World Cup.
Algeria predicted lineup: Luca Zidane; Rafik Belghali, Aissa Mandi, Ramy Bensebaini, Jaouen Hadjam; Hicham Boudaoui, Nabil Bentaleb, Fares Chaibi; Riyad Mahrez, Amine Gouiri, Mohamed Amoura.
