Argentina are aiming to defend their title at the Copa America in the USA. After the successful dress rehearsal against Guatemala (4:1), national coach Lionel Scaloni also announced his final squad. One trio was dropped
Of course, Argentina’s superstar took center stage in the last game before the start of the Copa America: Lionel Messi was mainly responsible for the success in the 4-1 triumph over Guatemala with two goals and an assist.
And so, unsurprisingly, the Inter Miami superstar leads the squad announced on Saturday for the tournament in his current adopted country. National coach Lionel Scaloni has been allowed to call up 26 players. One trio was cut from the original 29-man squad.
Scaloni only announced his decision after the final whistle. Marseille’s Leonardo Balerdi (25/2 senior internationals), Brighton youngster Valentin Barco (19/1) and, somewhat surprisingly, Atletico striker Angel Correa (29/24), who was still in the squad for the World Cup triumph in Qatar and the coveted Copa title, were the ones affected.
Balerdi, who moved from Boca Juniors to BVB and thus to Europe in January 2019, made 27 Ligue 1 appearances (two goals) for OM last season. Barco only made six Premier League appearances, coming off the bench three times. Correa made 32 La Liga appearances (nine goals) and ten in the Premier League (one goal).
Carboni convinces Scaloni
In offense, Scaloni trusts promising talents instead: Monza striker Valentin Carboni (19/2) and Manchester United’s gem Alejandro Garnacho (19/5) were handed their Copa tickets. Carboni was loaned to Monza from champions Inter last Serie A season, where he made 31 league appearances (two goals, four assists). Garnacho contributed eleven direct goals (seven goals, four assists) in 36 Premier League appearances.
Carboni received a lot of praise after the Guatemala game, in which he scored the penalty to make it 2:1. “Scaloni told me to have fun and play like I always do,” explained the top talent, who will now experience his first Copa. It kicks off next Friday (2 a.m. CEST) against Canada.
Argentina’s Copa squad at a glance:
Goal: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Franco Armani (River Plate), Geronimo Rulli (Ajax)
Defense: Gonzalo Montiel (Nottingham Forest), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), German Pezzella (Real Betis), Lucas Martinez Quarta (Fiorentina), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Marcos Acuna (Sevilla), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon)
Midfield: Guido Rodriguez (Real Betis), Leandro Paredes (Roma), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Rodrigo de Paul (Atletico Madrid), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea), Giovani Lo Celso (Tottenham Hotspur)
Striker: Angel di Maria (Benfica), Valentin Carboni (Monza), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United), Nicolas Gonzalez (Fiorentina), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan), Julian Alvarez (Manchester City)
