Predicted lineup Argentina vs. Venezuela: 2026 World Cup qualification

Argentina visits Venezuela to maintain its top spot in the 2026 CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers.

Manager Lionel Scaloni announced his 27-man squad for the upcoming games, but unfortunately several players were unavailable due to injury. Alejandro Garnacho, Paulo Dybala and Nicolás González are three attacking players who will not feature for Argentina this international break due to injuries. Scaloni was able to strengthen his squad with the late call-ups of Leicester City attacking midfielder Facundo Buonanotte and 19-year-old Julio Soler.

Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister will not feature in Thursday's game against Venezuela but could be available for Sunday's game against Bolivia. Tottenham's Cristian Romero will also be unavailable against Venezuela as he serves his suspension after picking up a second yellow card in Argentina's last qualifying game against Colombia.

Scaloni has a thin squad for the first of the two-game international break in October. However, the return of legendary captain Lionel Messi should give the Albiceleste a morale boost and Scaloni still has a very solid player base that still makes Argentina a formidable side.

This is what the Argentina team could look like on October 10th against Venezuela.

TW: Gerónimo Rulli—With regular player Emiliano Martínez suspended for both games, Rulli will take on the role of starting goalkeeper during this international break.

LB: Nicolás Tagliafico—The experienced left-back has made the starting role his own. Tagliafico scored in OL Lyon's last game before the break.

CB: Nicolás Otamendi—The 36-year-old is still going strong for Argentina. The leader of the defense will have to do his best to make up for Romero's absence.

CB: Lisandro Martinez—Licha is hoping to get back to his best with Argentina after a poor start to the season at Manchester United. He will have to be at his best when facing Salomón Rondón, one of the strongest strikers in South America.

RB: Nahuel Molina—Atlético Madrid's right-back is in most cases the first choice when Gonzalo Montiel comes on as a substitute. He will have his hands full dealing with the experienced Yeferson Soteldo.

CM: Leandro Paredes—Paredes will move into the lineup in place of the injured Mac Allister. Scaloni was always confident in deploying the Roma midfielder at the base of the midfield.

CM: Enzo Fernández –Even if he is not in his 2022 World Cup form, the Chelsea midfielder is still invaluable to Scaloni's team. With Paredes at his side, he will have more freedom to move around midfield.

CM: Rodrigo De Paul—Scaloni is not afraid to use four traditional central midfielders at the same time. Since the World Cup in Qatar, De Paul has been deployed more on the right side of midfield; However, Argentine midfielders typically have the freedom to swap positions and occupy different areas.

CM: Giovani Lo Celso—The Real Betis player will be Argentina's most advanced midfielder. He will look to link up with the two strikers while roaming the forward areas of the midfield.

ST: Julian Alvarez—La Araña is starting to shine for Atlético Madrid and his ability to play outside the penalty area with his great speed and combination play makes him more suitable for this game than Lautaro Martínez. Many urgent tasks are assigned to him in advance.

ST: Lionel Messi—The captain will play his first game for Argentina since the Copa América final. He will look to extend his lead as the top goalscorer in all of South American international football.

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