Argentina will face England in the FIFA World Cup semi-final on Wednesday night. Lionel Scaloni’s team has arrived in Atlanta after a final training session in Kansas City ahead of the epic clash. Argentine media outlet TyC Sports has hinted at two possible changes for the match that could take them to the final.
In Monday’s training session, the players did a light warm-up, followed by short ball drills and small-sided matches. Scaloni, however, did not work with a specific starting XI. It is believed he will finalize his tactics and set-piece preparations in the final training session in Atlanta the day before the match.
Argentina’s performance in the extra-time win over Switzerland was below expectations. Even with their opponents reduced to 10 men, they needed an extra 30 minutes to secure the win. Despite that underwhelming display, Scaloni may still rely on his familiar, regular XI.
Against Switzerland, Scaloni fielded the same XI he had used against Egypt. According to him, the team controlled the match against Egypt and created chances; the main problems were the lack of goals and a few defensive mistakes.
However, the possibility of changes against England cannot be ruled out. The coaching staff is not entirely satisfied with the midfield’s performance in particular. Leandro Paredes has been struggling slightly with cramps, but it is not an injury and poses no major concern.
TyC Sports reports that there could be some personnel or tactical changes in the team. Gonzalo Montiel could get a chance to replace Nahuel Molina on the right flank, while in midfield, Nicolas Gonzalez could come in for Alexis Mac Allister.
Nothing is certain yet, though, as Scaloni has a long-standing habit of keeping his XI secret. He does not like to reveal his plans until the final team meeting in the dressing room before the match. As a result, we will have to wait until kickoff to find out which XI Argentina will field in the semi-final against England.
