Argentina face Algeria in their opening World Cup match at 7 a.m. on Wednesday. Before that, one question may be going round in the minds of the Albiceleste faithful: who will be the No. 9 in Lionel Scaloni’s starting eleven?
Argentine sports television channel TyC Sports reported that Lautaro Martinez had until now been the coach’s first choice.
The reason: Julian Alvarez had been struggling with a heel injury. So Scaloni used Lautaro in the warm-up matches against Honduras and Iceland. Lautaro shone with the ball at his feet against Honduras. He scored one goal and set up another for teammate Giuliano Simeone.
But with Julian back from injury, the Argentina coach now has to rethink his attack. Amid all this, the forward has also begun training with the squad.
Argentina squad in training
For now, though, it cannot be said who will ultimately be the No. 9 in Scaloni’s starting eleven. TyC Sports said that if Alvarez passes his fitness test, he will be ahead in the coach’s thinking.
Both, however, are in fine form for their clubs. Alvarez, playing for La Liga side Atletico Madrid, has scored 20 goals in 49 matches. Lautaro, on the other hand, has 22 goals in 41 matches in the Inter Milan jersey.
Alvarez has also proved himself at the World Cup. He scored four goals in seven matches at the Qatar World Cup, with one assist as well. Lautaro, by contrast, has no goal to his name there. He too has played one World Cup, in Qatar in 2022. He failed to score in six matches at that tournament. Who Scaloni ultimately puts his faith in is now to be seen.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report