The Argentine national football team arrived this Thursday in Angola, where they will play their last friendly match of the year against the local team, in a historic event for the African country. In this regard, Lionel Scaloni spoke at a press conference earlier today and confirmed the presence of Lionel Messi.
“Messi will play, at least at first; I don’t know how many minutes, we’ll see later. The people will be able to see him,” explained the national team coach to the media.
Regarding the unexpected absences from the squad list, the coach reiterated: “We replaced the absentees with young players we had been following and who could have this opportunity. It helps us to see them and confirm what we thought—that they can contribute to the team.”
“I have already decided on the team; it will be a team I fully trust, one that has played together a lot. Many world champions will be on the field, and the fans will be able to enjoy it,” Scaloni detailed.
As for the opponent and the significance of the match, the coach said that “every match with the national team is important.” “We’ll play a match against a team that hasn’t qualified (for the World Cup) but has done good things, with a great last match against Cameroon. They have good players. We hope the public enjoys it; this is an important match for Angola because of the anniversary of their independence.”
“We like that the boys want to be here; this is a long trip. I know the Angolan players, they have well-known names in European leagues, and individually they are good; if they work as a team, they can make things difficult,” Scaloni went into further detail.
Additionally, the coach explained that for several of those called up, this is an opportunity to showcase themselves. “Many of our players are playing for a chance to be seen and to make the World Cup squad. Nothing is given away; we’ll try to play a good match.”
