Lionel Messi will begin Saturday night’s match against Jordan on the bench. Argentina’s manager Lionel Scaloni confirmed the decision during Friday’s press conference, and it got one of the warmest reactions of the entire tournament so far.
Scaloni only gave up the news when 91-year-old journalist Enrique Macaya Márquez asked directly — the veteran is covering his 18th World Cup. Scaloni joked he would have dodged answering from anyone else, then hugged Márquez at the end. It was a small moment but it said a lot about the respect between them.
No stakes, but plenty of storylines
Argentina has already locked up Group J with six points and a plus-five goal difference. They beat Algeria 3-0 and Austria 2-0. Jordan is winless and pointless after losing 3-1 to Austria and 2-1 to Algeria. They’re eliminated but not embarrassed. Ali Olwan scored against Austria. Nizar Al-Rashdan gave them a second-half lead against Algeria before they got pegged back.
The problem for Jordan has been defending set pieces. Three of the five goals they’ve conceded came from corners. Rennes winger Musa Al-Taamari remains their main threat on the counter. He’s the kind of player who can make something happen when you’re not paying attention.
This is the first meeting between the two nations at any level. So even a dead rubber has some historical weight.
Messi’s numbers and the load management
Messi turned 39 on Wednesday. He’s scored all five of Argentina’s goals at this World Cup — a hat-trick against Algeria and a brace against Austria. That moved him past Miroslav Klose as the tournament’s all-time leading scorer with 18 goals. Kylian Mbappé is two behind and still alive in the knockout rounds.
But Messi is coming off a muscle problem and Argentina has a knockout tie ahead. Fresh legs matter more than extending a scoring streak. Scaloni pretty much said as much when asked about the rotation plan: “The idea is to give the opportunity to most of the players to play. I think they deserve it and, as long as the match situation allows it, we will do it.”
Argentina’s likely lineup and Jordan’s shape
With heavy rotation expected, Argentina’s XI is a best guess right now. Scaloni went with a 4-3-3 in training: Emiliano Martínez in goal; Gonzalo Montiel, Nicolás Otamendi (captain), Marcos Senesi, and Nicolás Tagliafico across the back; Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios, and Leandro Paredes in midfield; and a front three of Nico Paz, Lautaro Martínez, and Julián Álvarez.
Scaloni talked about the pairing up front. “If the others are running, Lautaro and Julian can play together. It’s about the team’s balance. We want balance.” He also confirmed Cuti Romero is fine despite not training with the group.
Jordan will likely stick with a 3-4-2-1. Yazeed Abulaila in goal; Yazan Al-Arab, Ehsan Haddad, and Abdallah Nasib as the center backs; a midfield five that includes captain Rajaei Ayed; and Musa Al-Taamari playing off the striker.
Opta’s supercomputer gives Argentina a 78.1 percent chance of winning. A draw is at 13.2 percent. Jordan’s win probability is 8.7 percent. Argentina carries eight straight clean sheets into the game. But Jordan has scored in both matches so far and they’d love nothing more than to ruin Argentina’s perfect group stage.
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