Argentina are set to take on Venezuela on June 29 at 12:30 am IST in what promises to be an exciting match. Both sides are vying for a place in the semi-finals of the 2019 Copa-America tournament, as Lionel Messi and his men dream of moving one step closer to the coveted trophy they so narrowly missed out on four years ago.
Ahead of the Copa America quarter-finals the Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni told reporters at the pre-match press briefing that the victory against Asian Champions Qatar have given them belief and confidence moving forward. Argentina had convincingly seen off Qatar beating them 2-0 in their last group game.
Yet, the Albicelestes boss has drawn himself a lot of criticism having been unable to a finalize a first-choice starting eleven so far. The playing squad has been ever-rolling in all 13 games he has managed since taking over after the 2018 Russian World Cup.
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The training session in Rio ahead of the Venezuela encounter suggested that there is a possibility for a couple more changes. Scaloni was seen trying out Juan Foyth at right back in place of Renzo Saravia. German Pezella was also seen in a centre back role replacing Foyth. Another interesting move was Marcos Arcuna being preferred to Giovani Lo Celso. Striker Lautaro Martinez, who scored the first goal against Qatar to put Argentina ahead in the crucial clash is also expected to feature in the starting line alongside Messi and Aguero, while Paulo Dybala and Angel Di Maria might be relegated to the bench.
On social media, Argentinian fans are opining that tinkering with a starting-line up that beat a solid Qatar lineup is a risky bet with few payoffs. However, Scaloni’s track record suggests that he would not refrain from making a change or two even when he has found a winning combination.
The 14-time Copa America winners are seeking to end a 26-year wait to etch their names back onto the trophy. Their talisman Lionel Messi exuded confidence when he spoke on Thursday saying,"Now starts another Copa, now it's all or nothing!"
