In the second semifinal, defending world champions Argentina face their arch-rivals England at 1 a.m. Bangladesh time on Thursday. Before the match, coach Lionel Scaloni has hinted at changes to his starting XI. The Argentine outlet TyC Sports reported that, given the opposition’s strength, the coach could make one or two changes.
At the pre-match press conference, Scaloni said: “Keeping the opposition’s strength in mind, we may make some changes to the XI. Our aim is to put the best possible team on the field. But everyone is in good shape.”
He gave no specific information about the likely line-up, saying he would take the final decision after one last discussion with the players before the match. Most of the players from the side that beat Switzerland 3-1 in the quarter-final are expected to keep their places, so the chance of major changes is slim.
According to TyC Sports, any change is likely to come mainly in midfield. There is speculation that regular midfielder Rodrigo De Paul could be benched; his place was also in question against Egypt, and he was taken off before the end in the national team’s last two matches.
If De Paul does not play, Nicolas Gonzalez or Giuliano Simeone could come in for him. Simeone has made an effective impact off the bench several times at this World Cup, and if he starts he could play on the left, in which case Scaloni might also make some changes to the attacking and midfield set-up.
Argentina’s likely XI against England: Emiliano Martinez, Nahuel Molina/Gonzalo Montiel, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez, Nicolas Tagliafico, Rodrigo De Paul/Giuliano Simeone/Nicolas Gonzalez, Leandro Paredes, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister, Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report