In addition, the list includes the presence of local football with Leandro Paredes de Boca, Gonzalo Montiel and Marcos Acuña, both from River, in a call that combines experience and renewal at a
key moment in the cycle.
On the other hand, there were absences that attracted attention. Franco Mastantuono, with an irregular presence at Real Madrid, and Joaquín Panichelli, one of Ligue 1's leading goalscorers, were not included in the squad.
Beyond these surprises, other names that do not appear are those of Lautaro Martínez, Lisandro Martínez, Giovani Lo Celso and Paulo Dybala, all affected by different injuries. It should be clarified that the original planning for this window changed on the fly. Argentina was planning to play the Grand Final against Spain and a friendly match against Qatar, both matches on Qatari soil, but the geopolitical context in the Middle East forced the cancellation of that venue and the match against the local one. Later, due to the lack of agreement between UEFA and CONMEBOL to reschedule the match between the continental champions, the friendly match against Guatemala ended up taking that place on the
calendar.
With a final FIFA date scheduled for June, Scaloni must define in the coming weeks the final list of 26 players who will represent Albiceleste in the World Cup. This friendly match, in that sense, appears to be one of the last opportunities for several players to finish securing a place
.
