Messi vs. Salah Is Finally Happening and Argentina Just Released Its Starting XI

Lionel Messi starts. That’s the headline from Argentina’s team sheet ahead of their Round of 16 clash with Egypt, and honestly, it was never really in doubt.

The Argentina lineup dropped a little while ago, and the only real question was whether manager Lionel Scaloni would rotate after resting Messi in the group stage finale. He didn’t. Messi is in, flanked by Julian Alvarez up top, with the usual midfield engine room of De Paul, Enzo Fernandez, Mac Allister, and Paredes behind them. Martinez starts in goal. Molina, Romero, Lisandro Martinez, and Tagliafico make up the back four.

This is the last of the Round of 16 matches, and it’s a doozy. Argentina vs. Egypt at 5 PM local time. On one side, the reigning world champions and maybe the greatest player ever on his final World Cup run. On the other, Mohamed Salah leading a dangerous Egyptian side that nobody wants to draw this late in the tournament.

Then tonight at 9 PM, Switzerland takes on Colombia in the other match. Two very different styles. Switzerland is disciplined, compact, hard to break down. Colombia has the flair players, the unpredictability, the kind of team that can either dazzle you or beat themselves. Should be a messy, entertaining game either way.

But back to Argentina-Egypt. The build-up has been all about Messi vs. Salah, two of the defining players of this generation facing off in a knockout game. Messi has the titles, the legacy, the World Cup already in his pocket from 2022. Salah has never been this close to advancing deep with Egypt. He carried them here. Now he gets a shot at the champs.

Argentina hasn’t looked invincible in this tournament. They’ve had moments of brilliance, sure, but also stretches where they’ve looked vulnerable. Egypt isn’t just a one-man team either. They’ve got a real defensive structure and enough pace on the counter to punish any lapses. If Argentina’s fullbacks push too high, Salah can exploit that space in ways few others can.

The Messi factor is obvious. He’s still doing things that don’t make sense for a 39-year-old. But fatigue could be a concern if this goes to extra time. Scaloni’s bench isn’t as deep as it was two years ago, and Egypt will test that.

Kickoff is at 5 PM. Switzerland and Colombia follow at 9 PM. Two games, one night, and by the end of it, we’ll have our full quarterfinal bracket.