Argentina will look to maintain a perfect run that began with wins against Ecuador and Bolivia and this Thursday welcome a Paraguay team led by points after just one draw recorded in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

The match will be played at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires (18:00 Ecuador), a match which coach Lionel Scaloni has warned is questionable for Lionel Messi in the starting line-up, with physical problems that have robbed him of minutes over the last month. at Inter Miami of the MLS, but hinted that the Magic owner was “looking good”.

Paraguay arrives with only one point on the table, thanks to a draw in the opening match when it hosted Peru (0-0). The second match was a defeat in Venezuela (1:0) which determined the departure of coach Guillermo Barros Schelotta.

The replacement is Daniel Garnero and he will make his debut against the world champion. In his preview of the match, the Argentina coach assured that to beat Argentina you need to have a “very intelligent” approach and be “aggressive” when winning the ball back.

“We will play with the team, I will not reveal anything, it is the best in the world. Not only because of the achievement, because of the collective idea, because of the way they achieve it and their individual performances,” said the strategist, who is responsible for Albirroja’s return to the World Cup, after the event in South Africa in 2010. (D)