Argentina's captain, Lionel Messi, who is nursing an ankle injury, has been omitted from the national team's roster for the upcoming South American World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Colombia. The 37-year-old, who suffered the injury during the Copa America final in the United States last month, is currently recuperating with his club, Inter Miami. Also missing from the squad is River Plate goalkeeper Franco Armani and forward Angel Di Maria, who retired from international duty post-Copa America. Coach Lionel Scaloni has introduced new faces, including midfielder Ezequiel Fernandez and striker Valentin Castellanos, alongside less experienced internationals such as Alejandro Garnacho, Valentin Carboni, Valentin Barco, and Matias Soule. Argentina will play Chile at the Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires on September 5, followed by a match against Colombia in Barranquilla five days later.
The squad list includes goalkeepers Walter Benitez (PSV Eindhoven), Geronimo Rulli (Olympique de Marseille), Juan Musso (Atalanta), and Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa). Defenders in the lineup are Gonzalo Montiel (Sevilla), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), German Pezzella (River Plate), Leonardo Balerdi (Olympique Marseille), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Nicolas Tagliafico (Olympique Lyonnais), and Valentin Barco (Brighton & Hove Albion). Midfielders selected are Guido Rodriguez (West Ham United), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea), Giovani Lo Celso (Tottenham Hotspur), Ezequiel Fernandez (Al Qadsiah), Rodrigo De Paul (Atletico Madrid), Nicolas Gonzalez (Fiorentina), and Leandro Paredes (AS Roma). The forward line consists of Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United), Matias Soule (AS Roma), Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid), Valentin Carboni (Olympique Marseille), Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan), and Valentin Castellanos (Lazio).
