BUENOS AIRES (AP) — Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has selected a preliminary list of 33 players led by Lionel Messi for South American qualifying matches against Uruguay and Brazil.
One of the bright young talents in a revamped squad is striker Claudio Echeverri, who has just joined Manchester City after having played in the South American Under-20 championships.
Other players who are not yet 21 — Nicolás Paz, Benjamín Domínguez and Santiago Castro — were included in the squad announced Sunday.
Argentina leads the standings with 25 points after 12 matches. Uruguay has 20 and will host Messi’s team at the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo on March 21. Four days later, the World Cup winners will play Brazil at Buenos Aires’ Monumental Stadium.
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Squad:
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa), Gerónimo Rulli (Olympique Marseille), Walter Benítez (PSV Eindhoven)
Defenders: Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Germán Pezzella (River Plate), Leonardo Balerdi (Olympique Marseille), Juan Foyth (Villarreal), Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica), Facundo Medina, (Lens), Nicolás Tagliafico (Olympique Lyon), Francisco Ortega (Olympiakos).
Midfielders: Leandro Paredes (Roma), Enzo Fernández (Chelsea), Rodrigo de Paul (Atletico Madrid), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis), Máximo Perrone (Como), Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid), Benjamín Domínguez (Bologna), Thiago Almada (Olympique Lyon).
Forwards: Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United), Nicolás González (Juventus), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Nicolás Paz (Como), Claudio Echeverri (Manchester City), Paulo Dybala (Roma), Julián Álvarez (Manchester City), Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan), Santiago Castro (Bologna), Ángel Correa (Atletico Madrid).
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The Associated Press
