BUENOS AIRES — The head coach of Argentina, Lionel Scaloni, has announced an initial squad of 33 players for the upcoming South American qualifiers against Uruguay and Brazil, with superstar Lionel Messi leading the roster. Among the promising young players making waves is forward Claudio Echeverri, who recently signed with Manchester City following his standout performance in the South American Under-20 championships.
In addition to Echeverri, the squad features other youthful talents under the age of 21, such as Nicolás Paz, Benjamín Domínguez, and Santiago Castro, showcasing Argentina’s investment in budding talents. This announcement came on Sunday, as Argentina currently sits at the top of the standings with an impressive 25 points after 12 matches. Meanwhile, Uruguay, with 20 points, is set to host Messi and his team in a high-stakes clash at Montevideo’s Centenario Stadium on March 21. Following this match, Argentina will face Brazil home at Buenos Aires’ Monumental Stadium on March 25.
The detailed squad list includes the following players:
**Goalkeepers:** Emiliano Martínez from Aston Villa, Gerónimo Rulli from Olympique Marseille, and Walter Benítez from PSV Eindhoven.
**Defenders:** A robust lineup featuring Nahuel Molina of Atletico Madrid, Gonzalo Montiel from River Plate, Cristian Romero who plays for Tottenham, Germán Pezzella also from River Plate, Leonardo Balerdi from Olympique Marseille, Juan Foyth of Villarreal, Nicolás Otamendi from Benfica, Facundo Medina playing for Lens, Nicolás Tagliafico from Olympique Lyon, and Francisco Ortega of Olympiakos.
**Midfielders:** The midfield includes Leandro Paredes who represents Roma, Enzo Fernández playing at Chelsea, Rodrigo de Paul from Atletico Madrid, Exequiel Palacios at Bayer Leverkusen, Alexis Mac Allister from Liverpool, Giovani Lo Celso of Real Betis, Máximo Perrone representing Como, Giuliano Simeone from Atletico Madrid, Benjamín Domínguez at Bologna, and Thiago Almada from Olympique Lyon.
**Forwards:** The attacking options consist of Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United, Nicolás González at Juventus, underlining figure Lionel Messi of Inter Miami, Nicolás Paz from Como, Claudio Echeverri representing Manchester City, Paulo Dybala from Roma, Julián Álvarez also at Manchester City, Lautaro Martínez from Inter Milan, Santiago Castro of Bologna, and Ángel Correa representing Atletico Madrid.
As the matches draw near, these players will look to secure their nation’s dominance and extend their impressive run in the South American qualifiers.
