Argentina will be expecting a comfortable victory when they take on minnows El Salvador in a friendly in Maryland on Saturday. Tata Martino’s side may have lost against Portugal in their last outing, but have enough quality in their squad to blow their Central American opponents away at FedEx Field. Argentina were beaten finalists in last year’s World Cup; El Salvador by contrast haven’t qualified for a single major tournament since Spain 1982.
El Salvador vs. Argentina 2015: Preview, time and TV schedule
El Salvador are unlikely to pose Argentina a problem in Maryland on Saturday.
Argentina have all of their usual stars available, with Lionel Messi the main man in a frightening attack that also contains Sergio Agüero, Carlos Tevez and Gonzalo Higuaín. Among such an array of stars, it’s not all that surprising that Franco Di Santo missed the cut. The most notable omission is instead probably Fernando Gago, with the Boca Juniors midfielder overlooked. Goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli, defender Ramiro Funes Mori and midfielder Federico Mancuello are the only uncapped players in the squad.
Key player - Lionel Messi (Argentina)
With Argentina having such an array of attacking talent available, the only striker we’re sure will be involved is Lionel Messi. As one of the greatest players of all time, his place in the starting lineup is more assured than anyone else’s, and he could well demolish the poor El Salvador defence single-handedly.
Key question - How will Tata Martino organise his attack?
It looked like Carlos Tevez’s international career was over when he was overlooked by Alejandro Sabella ahead of the World Cup in Brazil, though his incredible domestic form for Juventus this season has meant he’s forced his way back into the reckoning. That only makes life even harder for new coach Martino, who will have to find an innovative way of cramming his best attackers into one team.
Match Date/Time: Saturday, 4:30 p.m. local/ET
Venue: FedEx Field, Maryland, United States
TV: beIN Sports (U.S. and Canada - English), beIN Sports en Español (U.S. - Spanish), TyC Sports (Argentina)
Online: beIN Sports Connect (U.S. and Canada), Fubo TV (U.S.)
Listings via Live Soccer TV.
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