Becaccece filled the national team with praise ahead of the conclusion of the qualifiers.

At the end of the South American Qualifiers on the road to the 2026 World Cup, the Argentina National Team will visit Ecuador this Tuesday from 8:00 p.m. in Guayaquil. Both teams already have their place secured at the next World Cup, but the lead-up was marked by statements that ranged from controversy to praise thanks to Sebastián Beccacece, coach of La Tri.

After the goalless draw against Paraguay, Beccacece had made a defiant statement: "There's nothing to worry about, we're going to beat Argentina." However, the coach quickly clarified that he was misunderstood: "I always choose respect, not because Argentina is my country and the world champion, but today I have to deal with things that are blatantly made up, that statement never existed."

The coach also highlighted the quality of the opponent: "We're going to face the best national team in history. It's a team that not only just won the World Cup and two Copa América titles, they've been working for seven years, in a very beautiful, very sophisticated, very genuine way, they're very spontaneous, natural, they generally dominate wherever they go, they're protagonists, they control the game."

Despite the praise, Beccacece expressed confidence in his team: "I firmly believe we can play a good match, break a streak against Argentina; I think we last won in 2015 and in 2005 at home. It would be nice to give the people some joy, I would love that, but declaring it before a match is impossible."

He added: "I imagine a match that's a huge challenge, to see if we can compete for the ball, if we can be protagonists, if we can attack more than the opponent, if we can keep defending with that solidity."

Scaloni's response

The words of Ecuador's coach reached Lionel Scaloni, who replied with praise: "I'm concerned about everything regarding Ecuador, it's one of the best national teams in the world and they're going to make things difficult for us and for whoever faces them at the World Cup."

The Argentine coach also valued the team's progress: "We're playing against a national team that's been doing things very well for a long time, since Alfaro's time. I think Beccacece has given the team more momentum and it's an important national team in South America and in the world. It's a good test for us."