Argentina plays for a spot in the next round of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games

The Argentine football team will play today for the chance to reach the quarterfinals of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, needing to win against Honduras in a match to be played at the Mané Garrincha stadium in Brasilia, starting at 1 pm (local time).

Argentina and Honduras come to this match with the same number of points but with the advantage of the Central Americans in goal difference, which is 0 against minus 1.

In this qualifying group, group D, Portugal has already secured their place in the next round, with 6 points, and Algeria is packing their bags to go home tomorrow, already eliminated with no points. They will face each other today, in Belo Horizonte, at the same time to close the first phase.

The Argentine coach, Julio Jorge Olarticoechea, set up a purely offensive team in the 2-1 victories over Algeria last Sunday and today, with no options, will repeat the lineup with the exception of who will play as the second central defender, since Víctor Cuesta was sent off in the match against the Algerians. Lisandro Magallán or Leandro Vega will occupy that position.

Argentina arrived on Monday morning in the capital of Brazil and practically had no time to prepare for the game, but it is understood that they will try to make the technical richness of their midfielders and forwards count: Cristian Pavón, Angel Correa, and Giovani Lo Celso, along with the advances of José Luis Gómez.

All of this so that Jonathan Calleri has a chance to be in a scoring position. Against Portugal, one of his shots hit the crossbar and against Algeria he scored taking advantage of a rebound.

But it won't be easy for the national team, as Honduras is a dangerous team when attacking (4 goals in the two matches) because they use the width of the field well.

And on the other hand, their weak point is the defense, as not only have they conceded four goals in the two games, but they have also been given many scoring opportunities.

The advantage for the team of Colombian Jorge Luis Pinto is that Argentina will have to carry the weight of the match and if the minutes pass and they don't convert, nerves will start to play a role. The kickoff time will also be a factor, as the climate in Brasilia is quite similar in temperature to San Pedro Sula (around 30 degrees) but with less humidity.

Olarticoechea complained about this and added one more criticism to the organization of the Games, which is quite deficient in several aspects and in several sports.

THE ELEVEN

Argentina will line up with Gerónimo Rulli; José Luis Gómez, Lautaro Gianetti, Magallán or Vega, and Alexis Soto; Mauricio Martínez and Santiago Ascacibar; Cristian Pavón, Giovani Lo Celso, and Angel Correa; Jonathan Calleri. Honduras has not confirmed their team yet.