Argentina secured top spot in Group J and a place in the round of 32 after winning against Algeria (3-0) and Austria (2-0), with Lionel Messi scoring all five of their goals so far in the tournament [1, 2, 3]. The 39-year-old Messi, who celebrated his birthday on June 24 during the World Cup [1, 3], will start on the bench in their final group game against Jordan on June 27 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas [1, 4, 3]. Coach Lionel Scaloni said, "Leo will start on the bench. Leo will come in a little bit later," emphasizing that the decision was to give playing time to other squad members and not because of injury [4, 5]. Scaloni added, "Those that are playing tomorrow deserve to play, they are part of the team. All the effort we've put in in training is because of them" [4].
Argentina plans to rotate their squad to include players returning from injury such as Julian Alvarez, Nicolas Tagliafico, and Leandro Paredes [1, 2, 3]. Defender Cristian Romero is likely to miss the match due to injury, with Nicolas Otamendi expected to replace him [1, 2, 3]. The team faces a Jordan side that has already been eliminated after losses to Austria and Algeria in their World Cup debut [1, 2]. Jordan’s coach Jamal Sellami said the match against the defending champions would be an opportunity to "leave a great mark" [1]. Jordan usually plays with five defenders, which may require tactical adjustments from Argentina if difficulties arise [4, 6].
Nicolas Tagliafico praised Messi's current form, saying, "He’s at the very exact same level as in 2022, or even better, I would say" [7]. Argentina’s next match after the group stage is scheduled for July 3 in Miami against the runner-up of Group H, which includes Spain, Uruguay, Cape Verde, and Saudi Arabia [1, 8].
