Before the upcoming match between Argentina and Bolivia in the 10th round of the South American qualifying group stage on October 16th in Beijing time, Argentina's head coach Scaloni attended the pre-match conference and elaborated on the team's recent situation, the players' status and the opponent's situation.
Scaloni began by reviewing the last match against Venezuela, stating that travel fatigue had an impact on the team. He mentioned that the team experienced a long layover on their return and it was not until yesterday that the whole team assembled for some activities, and that today there will be a final training session to finalize the starting lineup.
Regarding the players' form, Scaloni revealed that McAllister had a normal training session yesterday but a decision on his availability will only be made today. Meanwhile, he said that the team had considered making some more call-ups based on the players' form after the trip, but almost all of them responded well, so there was no need to make additional call-ups.
Scaloni expressed openness to the possibility of Alvarez and Lautaro playing together as a possibility, but it could also be with just one striker. He praised Lautaro's performance in particular, saying that he had a great year, was the top scorer in the Copa America, and hoped that he would win the Ballon d'Or.
Talking about the opponent Bolivia, Scaloni expressed great respect for them, believing that they have been playing well recently, winning back-to-back matches. He emphasized that the team cannot be taken lightly and must be prepared to deal with Bolivia's ability to control the ball and counterattack.
Scaloni also revealed the news of Calboni's injury, stating that it was the worst thing that happened in the training session and wished him a good recovery. At the same time, he acknowledged Messi's return in the last game, saying that Messi's presence is very important to the team, but the team's soccer philosophy will not change with or without Messi's presence.
Speaking about the situation with Lisandro Martinez and Niko Paz, Scaloni said that Lisandro was in good form and didn't play because of the decision to play Otamendi, while Niko Paz was called up based on his performances in game after game.
Finally, Scaloni said that the South American qualifiers are very tough and that all opponents want to beat Argentina. He emphasized that the team must understand that this will continue to happen and learn to deal with what happens. At the same time, he revealed that this was his 80th game in charge of Argentina and was proud to have achieved so much.
