The Barca star leads the Argentina squad
Injured Sergio Agüero and Lucas Biglia have been included in the preliminary list of 35 players for Argentina in the World Cup in Russia, in which four surnames with no or little previous experience with the national team also stand out.
Agüero has not played since March for Manchester City due to a knee injury that led him to undergo arthroscopy in April, while Biglia suffered a fracture in the transverse apophysis of the first and second lumbar vertebrae. Although he returned to play yesterday for Milan in Italy, Biglia had to leave the field after his compatriot Alejandro Gómez, from Atalanta, hit him in the affected area.
Agüero and Biglia are considered starters by coach Jorge Sampaoli for the debut against Iceland on June 16th in Moscow. The coach will monitor the progress of the injured players this week when training begins at the Albiceleste training ground in the suburb of Ezeiza before deciding whether to include them in the final squad of 23, led by captain Lionel Messi. The Barcelona star will play in his fourth World Cup.
Under these circumstances, Mauro Icardi, top scorer and captain of Inter Milan, and Lautaro Martínez, young revelation from Racing Club, appear among the 35 as alternatives. Icardi was called up at the beginning of Sampaoli's cycle in mid-2017, but then lost ground. The young Martínez, on the other hand, was in the friendlies at the end of March.
The other novelty among the forwards was the inclusion of Paulo Dybala, also from Juventus, who ceased to be considered by Sampaoli after publicly stating that it was difficult to play alongside Messi.
Meanwhile, Rodrigo Battaglia (Sporting Lisbon), who has no previous experience with the national team, and Guido Pizarro (Sevilla) are the alternatives if Biglia does not make it to the World Cup.
The incredible saves of Franco Armani to defend the goal of River Plate captivated Sampaoli, who, like his predecessors, had not taken him into account when he was also shining at Atlético Nacional in Colombia. His actions have increased considerably because Sergio Romero, the starter in the last two World Cups, does not play for Manchester United.
Another player from the Argentine league who made it into the squad thanks to outstanding performances is midfielder Ricardo Centurión (Racing Club), who, due to his speed and overflowing play on the wings, is emerging as a variant of Ángel Di María (Paris Saint-Germain), a historic figure for the national team also present in the list.
Argentine football contributes Cristián Pavón, a key player for the two-time league champions Boca Juniors, and his teammate Pablo Pérez, Enzo Pérez (River) and Maximiliano Meza (Independiente).
In addition, full-back Cristian Ansaldi (Torino, Italy) was added at the last minute due to the sciatic injury suffered by Gabriel Mercado (Sevilla) over the weekend, who will also be evaluated in the coming days by the national team doctors. Ansaldi has been called up in previous cycles of the national team.
Nine of the players included by Sampaoli reached the final of the 2014 World Cup. - AP