By Karl Matchett
Argentina are also playing Zambia during this international break in what’s effectively now a farewell to the public before trying to make it back-to-back successes on the global stage.
Spectacle and superstar
There won’t be much surprise if the lead-up to the game – and maybe the first half at least – is all about the usual Lionel Messi sideshow. At 38 years of age he’s still sharp and relentless in the final third; in MLS he may be but he can still top the lot, ranking ahead of 99% of similar forwards for goals and chances created and all 100% of them for touches and shots.
Still, the idea is to maximise what you get from Messi while maintaining balance elsewhere, which makes the likes of Julián Alvarez and Thiago Almada so vital with movement and workrate off the ball.
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Plan in action
A little over a decade ago, Mauritania were in the bottom handful of national teams on the entire planet, by Fifa rankings anyway. Ground has been made in that regard, and they’ve been to three Afcon tournaments in the past seven years, but didn’t qualify for 2025’s edition and have never been to a World Cup.
It doesn’t seem like a testing opponent on first glance for Argentina, but they do face another (much stronger) African side in their World Cup group – Algeria – and also a World Cup finals debutant, in Jordan, so perhaps a defensive-minded opponent will provide some practice for what lies ahead. In reality, this is maybe the best alternative on offer at short notice, given Messi and co were supposed to be facing Spain in the Finalissima this weekend.
Recent matches
Three not-high-profile opponents have been Argentina’s choices since the qualifiers ended in a 1-0 defeat to Ecuador, with Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Angola all duly dispatched. Mauritania haven’t won any of their last six and have just one victory since the end of 2024.
Team news
Lionel Scaloni had a full squad in training at the start of the week and it’s expected the likes of Lionel Messi, Alexis Mac Allister and Julián Alvarez will all start, though Rodrigo De Paul could miss out with a knock.
Mauritania will look to Romania-based captain Aly Abeid for defensive organisation while Rangers winger Djeidi Gassama is hoping for an international debut.
Key Player
Enzo Fernández has been in the headlines over a potential summer move; at his best he is a scheming danger in the final third but he has been hot and cold this term. Over the past year he ranks in the top 5% of all attacking midfielders in Europe for getting on the ball; he should have plenty of that in this game so it’s all about whether he can find the telling ball to the front men.
Prediction
A routine win for the South American side but the key will be keeping up the tempo if they want to rack up the scoreline: Argentina 3-0 Mauritania.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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