2024-06-19
Messi and his Argentina World champions Brazil begin their defense of the Copa America title they won three years ago this Thursday. Canada, one of the host countries for the 2026 World Cup, will be a barometer of the Albiceleste's willingness to debut in Atlanta.
Argentina It reaches the Copa America in the United States on the back of a 20-match unbeaten run since that surprise win against Saudi Arabia in Qatar-2022.
“I tell people as always, we are going to play, we are going to do our best, we are eager to keep trying and achieve things,” said an excited Messi, who will be competing in his seventh tournament at the age of 36. The Copa America was probably the last of his amazing career.
“It will be more and more difficult because the games will be harder and harder. The rivals are making it more and more difficult, but we are going to try again,” said the Albiceleste captain.
For Messi, Copa America-2024 has a special flavor: the footballer who reached 35 games in the competition's history when the ball rolled at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, starting at 8:00 pm local time (Friday 00:00 GMT) on Thursday.
Coach Lionel Scaloni has the world champion base in the United States in 2022, but he has three doubts about the level of competitive balance to shape the starting eleven against the “Canucks”.
The battles are taking place in midfield where Alexis MacAllister and Enzo Fernandez are fighting for the only unnamed position in the three midfielders line-up. Leandro Paredes and Rodrigo De Paul are the two most consistent midfielders in Scaloni's scheme.
In an attack led by Messi, the competition revolves between Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez at center forward, with Nicolás González or Ángel Di Maria occupying one of the wings.
– Canada, unknown and complete newcomer –
After defeating Trinidad and Tobago 2-0 in the Concacaf playoffs, Canada's historic debut at the Copa America saw the United States enter the 2024 edition through the back door.
Taking part in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the 'Canucks' suffered defeats against Belgium (1-0), Croatia (4-1) and Morocco (2-1) in the first round. Three setbacks added another tally on his World Cup debut in distant Mexico-1986.
Jesse Marsh, a 50-year-old American, has been the Canadian coach since mid-May, and his team's flagship is versatile left-back Alphonso Davies (23), a Bayern Munich icon and Real Madrid target.
“It's a privilege for any team to face the world champions. We are ready and waiting for absolute excellence ArgentinaMarsh said at a press conference at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
“We are going to play against a team with a lot of quality, a lot of organization. “We have prepared well for this tournament and our mentality is strong (…) playing against the world champions is a motivation for us,” he added.
The Canadians are the best in attack, with men of recognized international experience such as Jonathan David (Lille), Tajon Buchanan (Inter Milan) and Cyle Laurin (Mallorca).
The Canucks showed two faces in their only preparation games for the Copa America earlier this month: a massive 4-0 loss against the Netherlands and a 0-0 win against France.
Possible sequences:
Argentina: Emiliano Martinez – Nahuel Molina, Christian Romero,
Nicolas Otamendi, Nicolas Tagliafico – Rodrigo de Paul, Leandro Paredes, Alexis MacAllister or Enzo Fernandez – Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martinez or Julian Alvarez, Angel Di Maria or Nicolas Gonzalez. TD: Lionel Scaloni.
Canada: Maxime Crepeau – Alistair Johnston, Moise Bombito, Derek Cornelius, Alphonso Davies – Ismael Koné, Stephen Eustáquio, Tajon Buchanan, Liam Millar – Jonathan David and Cyle Larin. TD: Jesse Marsh.
Hours: 6:00 p.m
Dispatch: Channel 11 in Honduras
Referee: Jesús Valenzuela (Venezuela).
