Ángel Di María is emerging as Scaloni’s great bet

“Fideo”, architect of the consecrated victory in the Copa América 2021 in that same setting in Rio de Janeiro, starts in a privileged position among the possible changes analyzed by coach Lionel Scaloni.

The Benfica player from Portugal started from the bench in the defeat against Uruguay last Thursday, and his record in the most important matches gives him a handicap to return to the starting eleven.

Not only did he decide that final on July 11, 2021 at the Maracaná, he also scored as a scorer in the Finalissima against Italy at Wembley and in the final with France at the World Cup in Qatar. His overall campaign with the Albiceleste includes 135 games, 29 goals and the same number of assists.

His eventual incorporation into the National Team’s starting lineup means the departure of Fiorentina forward Nicolás González, present from the start in the five previous qualifying matches for the United States-Canada-Mexico 2026.

The Argentine team returned to work this afternoon at the Lionel Andrés Messi facility in Ezeiza, with no indication on the field about the team that will play against Brazil, but with that primary idea in the minds of the coaching staff.

A second, less concrete possibility would be the inclusion of a fourth midfielder, always by Nico González, to reinforce a sector in which Argentina was surpassed in the Rio de la Plata classic.

If he opts for that chance, three players will compete for ownership: Leandro Paredes, more positional; Exequiel Palacios, with greater balance, and Giovani Lo Celso, with a more offensive characteristic.

So the probable Argentine formation would be with Emiliano Martínez; Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Nicolás Otamendi and Nicolás Tagliafico; Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernández; Lionel Messi, Julián Álvarez and Di María.

The world champions will return to the Maracaná since that continental consecration in 2021 with the aim of inflicting Brazil’s first home defeat in the entire history of the Qualifiers.

Canarinha arrives urgently for results, in an atypical context: it has accumulated two consecutive defeats in the Conmebol competition and is led by Fluminense coach, Fernando Diniz, who is currently acting as interim.

After going 37 games without defeats in the Qualifiers, Brazil lost its undefeated record with Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay in Montevideo, last October, and last Thursday they lost to Colombia (2-1) in Barranquilla, after starting the game with an advantage .

To make matters worse, they lost Real Madrid forward Vinicius Júnior to injury, who represents their best player in the absence of the injured Neymar, who will only be able to return to the field next year.

The losses of the five-time world champions are counted with both hands since other players with a stable presence in the previous Tite cycle will not be available either.

Goalkeeper Ederson (Manchester City), defenders Éder Militao (Real Madrid) and Danilo (Juventus); Midfielders Casemiro (Manchester United) and Lucas Paquetá (West Ham) and attackers Richarlison (Tottenham Hotspur) and Antony (Manchester United) will not be in the game.

Argentina, leader of the Qualifiers with 12 points, will resume its agenda this Sunday with a new practice from 10:30 in Ezeiza, behind closed doors.

The South American soccer superclassic will be played this Tuesday from 9:30 p.m. with refereeing by Chilean Piero Maza.

Dibu, Cuti and Lo Celso can play

The Argentine footballers Emiliano Martínez, Cristian Romero and Giovani Lo Celso, who were accused of having breached the quarantine against Covid-19 in 2021 in São Paulo, will have no legal obstacles to enter Rio de Janeiro ahead of next Tuesday’s clash against Brazil at the Maracaná stadium, the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) reported today.

“The entry of the players in 2021 was the subject of actions by Anvisa due to the lack of compliance with the health regulations for entry into the country that were in force at that time. In the current epidemiological context, there is no impediment for Argentine players to enter Brazil,” says a statement from Anvisa.

On September 5, 2021, Brazil’s health control body suspended the match between the local team and Argentina for the Qatar 2022 South American Qualifiers when five minutes had passed at the Corinthians stadium in São Paulo.

Anvisa agents with the Federal Police entered the playing field to remove the players who were playing in the United Kingdom at that time, since a Brazilian rule indicated that they could not enter Brazil without quarantining.