challenging Ecuador national team will put Lionel Messi’s Argentina to the test on Thursday to find out if the champion has kept his power intact after winning the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, at the start of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 North American competition.

Nine months after winning his third World Cup crown, La Albiceleste return to the road to defend their reign against a battle-ready squad in the monument in Buenos Aires.

Enzo Fernández: Physically, Ecuador is very good

There is still a festive atmosphere in the Argentine ranks. but the coach Lionel Scaloni has already predicted that he will do everything so that his team does not rest on its laurels achieved in that incredible final against France (3-3 and 4-2 on penalties) on the soil of Qatar.

“The World Cup was unforgettable, but now it’s over”seems to be the general thought among Argentinians. They are led by a renewed Messi, after two years of nightmare in Paris Saint-Germain. He came to the US to shake the MLS carpet with his talent and charisma, now as the head of Inter Miami.

“What happened (winning the World Cup) was very nice, impressive, but we have to respect this shirt, which always asks you to go out and win playing the same football we’ve been playing and we’re thinking about a new goal,” defender Germán Pezzella said.

“start a new path. The obligation remains the same, and we enjoyed a lot in the past. Now you have to go with a different desire and a different mentality keep winning with the national team. Qualifications are very important matches for us, for let’s continue to show that we are ready for great things“, added midfielder Enzo Fernández.

Argentina starts as clear favorites along with Brazil remain with one of the six direct spots for the next World Cup event, but in the light blue and white camp, they don’t trust Ecuador at all, an opponent who also passed through Qatar and has already complicated the Albiceleste on other occasions on Buenos Aires soil.

“They (Ecuadorians) have a great choiceHe had a great draw and then a good World Cup. They have young players at a high level. It will be a match played like all the ones in the qualifiers,” added Pezzella.

As usual, the focus on the former tends to converge Lionel Messi, who ended his successful tour with Inter Miami to return to Argentinaand in this sense, the president of the Argentine Football Association, Claudio Tapia, pointed out that “he loves the team, he is happy when he comes to the stadium and is with his teammates”.

With a Spaniard at the helm

On the visiting side, the Spaniards Felix Sanchez Bass already prepared a possible team with three defenders, while you still have to define who will follow Enner Valenciastriker who excelled scoring three goals in Qatar and who comes from possession Outstanding performance at Inter Porto Alegrewhen he eliminated Argentina’s River in the Copa Libertadores.

The tricolor also begins a new stage, with Sánchez as a replacement for Argentina’s Gustavo Alfaro, who led Ecuador to the World Cup, although they could not go beyond the group stage, eliminated by Senegal in the last game.

Ecuador will start the match with a discount of three points for the punishment imposed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) before Qatar-2022, after subbing player Byron Castillo for illegal subbing.

Outside of this situation, the player Pervis Estupiñáncharacter of Brighton, England, anticipated that “This kind of match is very motivating for us. We are going to play against the world champion and against great players. We are stronger, we have more experience, so we will try to add and achieve a good result”.

In addition, the young Kendry Páez, barely 16 years old and a player of Independiente del Valle, assessed that “it will be a very difficult opponent, they are the champions and they have the best in the world, but we are not afraid of anything, we will do our best .” the best of us.”

meeting The game will be played on Thursday from 19:00 in Ecuador at the Monumental Stadium with more than 80,000 sold-out seats, and the referee will be the Colombian Wilmar Roldán, while the VAR will be managed by his compatriot Jhon Perdomo.

Possible formations:

Argentina:

Emiliano Martinez; Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Nicolás Otamendi, Nicolás Tagliafico; Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis McAllister; Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martinez, Julian Alvarez. DT: Lionel Scaloni.

Ecuador:

Hernan Galindez; Felix Torres, Robert Arboleda, William Pacho; José Hurtado, Carlos Gruezo, José Cifuentes, Moisés Caicedo, Pervis Estupiñán; Enner Valencia, Gonzalo Plata. DT: Felix Sanchez. (D)