Leo Messi Leads Argentina Squad For Pre-Copa America Friendlies

Argentina announced a 29-man squad captained by Lionel Messi for their upcoming friendly matches ahead of the Copa America. Notable absent from the squad is forward Paulo Dybala, who has been dealing with injuries.

The team will take on Ecuador on June 9th at Soldier Field Stadium in Chicago, followed by a match against Guatemala five days later at Commanders Field in Washington.

Coach Lionel Scaloni will need to cut three players from the squad to adhere to CONMEBOL’s limit of 26 players for the upcoming Copa America, commencing on June 20th.

Alongside established players like Messi, Angel Di Maria, and Nicolas Otamendi, who were part of the 2022 World Cup-winning team in Qatar, Scaloni has also included promising youngsters such as Leonardo Balerdi, Valentin Barco, Alejandro Garnacho, and Valentin Carboni.

AS Roma forward Dybala is notably missing from the squad due to a series of injuries that have kept him out of previous international matches.

Argentina began their Copa America journey against Canada on June 20th, followed by matches against Chile on June 25th, and Peru on June 29th. The tournament in the United States will conclude on July 14th.

Argentina squad:

Goalkeepers: Franco Armani (River Plate), Geronimo Rulli (Ajax) and Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)

Defenders: Gonzalo Montiel (Nottingham Forest), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Leonardo Balerdi (Olympique de Marseille), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), German Pezzella (Real Betis), Lucas Martinez Quarta (Fiorentina), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Marcos Acuna (Sevilla), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon) and Valentin Barco (Brighton)

Midfielders: Guido Rodriguez (Real Betis), Leandro Paredes (Roma), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Rodrigo De Paul (Atletico Madrid), Exequiel Palacios (Bayern Leverkusen), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea), Giovani Lo Celso (Tottenham Hotspur), Angel Di Maria (Benfica) and Valentin Carboni (AC Monza)

Forwards: Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Angel Correa (Atletico Madrid), Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United), Nicolas Gonzalez (Fiorentina), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan) and Julian Alvarez (Manchester City)