Argentina have the chance to reach the final of the World Cup this evening but will need to overcome the challenge of eliminating Croatia, who are enjoying another magical campaign in this storied tournament.
Lionel Scaloni’s men are guaranteed to be involved in two more games, with a fixture planned for the weekend regardless of the result against Croatia.
That means Lisandro Martinez, who has arguably been Manchester United’s best player this season, will miss the first Premier League game against Nottingham Forest.
All players taking part in the World Cup will be given one week off before returning for the resumption of club football. Raphael Varane is also remaining in the competition and is set to miss the game against Forest.
This evening, Martinez has not been able to keep his place for Argentina after he started the quarter-final against the Netherlands.
📋 ¡Once inicial confirmado! ⚽
Así formará @Argentina 🇦🇷 para el encuentro ante #Croacia 🇭🇷 pic.twitter.com/cs4VMhcRFJ
— Selección Argentina 🇦🇷 (@Argentina) December 13, 2022
Despite his impressive performances when given the chance, Scaloni has preferred to play with Nicolas Otamendi and Cristian Romero when using a four-man defence. Martinez is likely to be drafted back into the side for their next game if a change of system is on the agenda.
Should they beat Croatia, who are in stellar form after surprisingly sending Brazil home last week, Argentina will face France or Morocco in the final.
