The Copa America 2024 is just a month away, as the teams gear up for the international tournament. The quadrennial international men's soccer championship organized by South America's football ruling body CONMEBOL is scheduled to take place in the USA. With 16 teams footballers's club season has almost come to an end with some games. Big teams like Brazil already announced their squad previously. Now the defending champions Argentina have given the names for the preliminary squad.
The La Albiceleste have been the No.1 ranked team in FIFA World Rankings, the three times world champions are one of the most dominant-looking squads in the world currently. Before coming to the FIFA World Cup 2022 they had a run of 36-match but they lost their first game against Saudi Arabia and then went on to win the World Cup for the third time after 36 years.
The nation has been playing well under Lionel Scaloni and they will try to defend their Copa America title, as in the previous edition they defeated Brazil in the final to win fifteen times, the joint-record holder with Uruguay. They have the chance of surpassing the La Celeste by winning it this time.
Four World Cup winners miss out on squad
However, ahead of the campaign start Argentina Football Association (AFA) has announced the preliminary squad for the upcoming friendlies and the tournament as well. Their star footballer and captain Lionel Messi has been making a comeback to the squad after he was left out during the previous international break due to a hamstring niggle. He will try to replicate full of his form that he is in for Inter Miami.
But there have been some names, from the previous World Cup squad that have been left out. Juan Foyth of Villarreal, Alejandro “Papu” Gómez, who has been banned for two years, Thiago Almada of Atlanta United, and Paulo Dybala of AS Roma. There are various reasons that the above-named players have been left out, with Foyth did not play the majority of the season with an injury, Almada will be part of the U-23 team for the Olympics and Dybala's form has been a question and thus was left out.
Here's the 29 players' squad for Argentina
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Goalkeepers: Franco Armani (River Plate), Gerónimo Rulli (Ajax), Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa)
Defenders: Gonzalo Montiel (Notting Forest), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), Germán Pezzella (Real Betis), Lucas Martínez Quarta (Fiorentina), Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica), Lisandro Martínez (Manchester United), Marcos Acuña (Sevilla), Nicolás Tagliafico (Lyon)
Midfielders: Guido Rodríguez (Real Betis), Leandro Paredes (AS Roma), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Rodrigo De Paul (Atletico Madrid), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Enzo Fernández (Chelsea), Giovani Lo Celso (Tottenham Hotspur)
Forwards: Ángel Di María (Benfica), Valentín Carboni (AC Monza), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United), Nicolás González (Fiorentina), Lautaro Martínez (Inter), Julián Álvarez (Manchester City)
Probable Playing XI:
Emilian Martinez, Gonzalo Montiel, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martínez, Marcos Acuña, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández, Rodrigo De Paul, Ángel Di María, Julián Álvarez, Lionel Messi
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