Argentina will clash heads with Australia at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium on Saturday night hoping to pick up a positive result and progress into the quarter-finals of the World Cup campaign. Lionel Scaloni’s men will be coming into the match on the back of a 2-0 victory over Poland whereas Graham Arnold’s men recorded a hard-fought 1-0 win against Denmark.
Lionel Scaloni will probably opt for the 4-3-3 formation; however, he might make a couple of changes for the upcoming fixture as Lautaro Martinez looks likely to make his way back into the starting eleven.
4-3-3 Argentina Predicted Lineup Vs Australia
Defence
Emiliano Martinez is expected to start in goal for the upcoming encounter. The Aston Villa shot-stopper would be looking to put up a strong performance and add to his tally of clean sheets on Saturday.
Lisandro Martinez will form the centre-half partnership with Christian Romero at the heart of Argentina’s backline.
Gonzalo Montiel is a guaranteed starter at the right-back position, whereas Marcos Acuna will continue to feature as the left-back. The duo would be expected to stay compact and keep their shape defensively.
Nicolas Otamendi will have to settle for a place on the bench but could be brought on in the latter stages of the game if needed.
Midfield
Enzo Fernandez is expected to start in the central midfield position whereas Rodrigo de Paul will slot in as the defensive midfielder. The duo would be determined to perform well and dominate the midfield proceedings against Australia on Saturday.
Alexis Mac Allister remains a sure-fire starter this week and it’ll be an understatement to say Argentina would be highly dependent on the Brighton star’s creative work if they wish to pick up a positive result.
Leandro Paredes could be introduced in the second forty-five minutes of the match.
Attack
Lautaro Martinez and Angel di Maria will take up the wide positions, playing on the left and right wing respectively.
Lionel Messi is expected to lead the line for Argentina. The 35-year-old would hope to find the back of the net when he faces off against the Australia defence that has kept two clean sheets in their last three matches.
Julian Alvarez will have to settle for a place on the bench but he could come on in the second half if needed.
