Claudio Echeverri, who shone in the South American U-20 Championship, has been called up to the 33-player Argentina squad.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has included forwards Paulo Dybala and Ángel Correa in the preliminary squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Brazil and Uruguay. Several players who impressed in the South American U-20 Championship have also been added to the 33-player roster.
Claudio Echeverri, who recently moved from River Plate to Manchester City, has been named in the squad. Along with him, Francisco Ortega, Máximo Perrone, Benjamín Demichelis, and Santiago Castro are also included.
Due to injury, Argentina will be without Manchester United defender Lisandro Martínez for these upcoming matches. Additionally, Nehuén Pérez from Porto has been excluded.
In Martínez’s absence, Lans defender Facundo Medina, who returned to the squad in November after more than a year, retains his spot. Villarreal’s Juan Foyth has also returned to the squad.
Midfielders Enzo Barrenchea and Facundo Buonanotte have been left out of the squad.
Atletico Madrid forward Julián Simeone has earned a call-up for his good form, while Lazio’s Valentín Castellanos has been dropped.
Argentina will play Uruguay away on March 22 and Brazil at home four days later. If they win both matches, Argentina could secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup as the first team from South America.
Argentina is currently top of the standings with 25 points from 12 matches. Uruguay is second with 20 points from the same number of games, while five-time World Cup champions Brazil are in fifth place with 18 points.
Argentina Squad
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa), Walter Benítez (PSV Eindhoven), Gerónimo Rulli (Olympique Marseille)
Defenders: Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), Herman Pesella (River Plate), Leonardo Balerdi (Olympique Marseille), Juan Foyth (Villarreal), Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica), Facundo Medina (Lans), Nicolás Tagliafico (Lyon), Francisco Ortega (Olympiacos)
Midfielders: Enzo Fernández (Chelsea), Leandro Paredes (Roma), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Rodrigo De Paul (Atletico Madrid), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Giovanni Lo Celso (Real Betis), Máximo Perrone (Como), Benjamín Demichelis (Bologna), Thiago Almada (Lyon), Nicolás Pass (Como)
Forwards: Lionel Messi (Inter Milan), Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United), Nicolás González (Juventus), Paulo Dybala (Roma), Claudio Echeverri (Manchester City), Julián Alvarez (Atletico Madrid), Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan), Santiago Castro (Bologna), Ángel Correa (Atletico Madrid), Julián Simeone (Atletico Madrid).
