Why are Thiago Almada & Lautaro Martinez benched for Argentina vs Switzerland FIFA World Cup 202 quarter-final?
(Courtesy : Getty)
Thiago Almada and Lautaro Martinez were benched for the Argentina vs Switzerland match tonight.
Argentina are scheduled to take on Switzerland in an exciting FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final clash at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on July 11. The defending champions are heavy favourites for tonight’s match and have fielded a strong starting lineup to face the Schweizer-Nati.
Head coach Lionel Scaloni made some big calls regarding the starting XI, dropping some big names to the substitutes’ bench. Among them are Atletico Madrid’s Thiago Almada and Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez.
Instead, Julian Alvarez was paired with Lionel Messi up top. Enzo Fernandez started in an advanced role, with Alexis Mac Allister, Leandro Paredes, and Rodrigo De Paul starting in midfield. Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez were the preferred centre-back pairing, joined by Nahuel Molina and Nicolas Tagliafico.
Also Read: Argentina starting lineup vs Switzerland confirmed
Why are Thiago Almada & Lautaro Martinez not starting?
Martinez was the team’s first-choice centre-forward in the expanded 48-team World Cup in North America. The 28-year-old started the first four games, scoring his first goal in the tournament against Jordan.
However, Scaloni replaced him with Julian Alvarez in the Round of 16 clash against Egypt. Although Alvarez did not score, he was in fine form against the Pharaohs, and the head coach has stuck with him in tonight’s game.
Similarly, Almada also started three games for La Albiceleste. Despite starring in the first two matches, he had a massive drop-off in form against Jordan and Cape Verde. As a result, he was dropped against Egypt and did not play a single minute in that match.
In this game, he is once again named among the substitutes, with Scaloni opting for a 4-1-2-1-2 formation, looking to attack the Swiss side through the middle.
Why are Thiago Almada and Lautaro Martinez benched vs Switzerland?
Head coach Lionel Scaloni opted for tactical changes. Julian Alvarez partnered Messi up front after impressing vs Egypt, while Almada was dropped due to a dip in form in recent matches.
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Sushruta has spent over two years covering football, with a particular focus on Indian and international competitions. Alongside football, he has reported on a variety of sports, bringing curiosity and perspective to every story. When he’s not following the action, he can usually be found binge-watching movies or getting lost in a good book.