Argentina national coach Lionel Scaloni has to replace two attackers shortly before the World Cup | 2022 football world cup

Argentina, which has been unbeaten for 35 international matches, won 5-0 in the exhibition game against the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday evening. Scaloni was unable to rely on attacker Paulo Dybala (AS Roma), defender Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur) and midfielders Nicolas Gonzalez (Fiorentina) and Alejandro Gomez (Sevilla) in that match.

Nicolas Gonzalez was told at the beginning of the evening that he had to leave the Argentina selection because he is not fit enough. His replacement is attacker Ángel Correa of ​​Atlético Madrid. Two hours later it was announced that attacker Joaquin Correa (Inter) is also not fit enough for this World Cup. His replacement is Thiago Almada, a 21-year-old attacking midfielder from Atlanta United.

Giovanni Simeone (Napoli), Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United) and Lucas Ocampos (Ajax) were also mentioned tonight as possible replacements for the two injured players, but Scaloni therefore opted for Ángel Correa and Thiago Almada. According to the regulations, national coaches are allowed to change players in their selection up to 24 hours before the first group match in the event of injuries. Argentina, with Lionel Messi as the star, will play its first group match against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, November 22 at 11 a.m.

“Some players are not 100 percent. We have some minor problems”, Scaloni explained after the friendly match. “We still have a few days to decide on the list. I honestly can’t say they are 100 percent, but we can still make changes. Hopefully you don’t have to, but the possibility is there.”

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