According to Olé, the Argentine national team is actively preparing for its first friendly since the World Cup final. Argentina will face Bolivia at Estadio Kempes in Córdoba. The team is currently training, and coach Scaloni will hold a press conference. The starting lineup for the match will also be confirmed before the team travels to Córdoba.

In Argentina's first match after the World Cup final, Scaloni begins a new rebuilding phase.

After 73 days, the Argentine national team will return to action following its loss to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final. On September 30 at 20:00 ART (8:00 Beijing Time), Argentina will face Bolivia at Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium in Córdoba.

Messi will be absent from this match, and Scaloni will continue to lead the team despite uncertainty about his future as coach. The Argentine squad resumed training on Monday afternoon at the Ezeiza training center following the weekend break. On Tuesday, Scaloni will attend the pre-match press conference, and after training, the team will travel to Córdoba for final preparations before the friendly.

This also marks the beginning of Scaloni's rebuilding of the historic Argentine team. Messi and Otamendi are no longer in the squad, and it remains to be seen whether Paredes, who is facing a 10-match suspension, will be available. Additionally, Scaloni did not call up De Paul or Lo Celso this time.

During last Thursday's training session, Scaloni worked on his first starting lineup since the World Cup. Martínez was in goal, the defense consisted of Jai, Romero, Lisandro Martínez, and Facundo Medina; Palacios partnered with Mac Allister in midfield, with Mastantuno and Nico Paz orchestrating the attack, and Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez up front.

Notably, Enzo Fernández was not in this starting lineup, having received a red card in Argentina's final World Cup match.

Scaloni on contract renewal: Willing to continue, but hasn't met with Tapia yet.

Ahead of Argentina's first match since the World Cup final, coach Scaloni discussed his contract renewal. He stated that he has not yet met with Claudio Tapia, president of the Argentine Football Association, and that there have been no new developments regarding his future.

Scaloni said: "The week after the final was very special and beautiful. I had time to relax a bit and get over the disappointment of not winning the title, but overall, I feel at peace with all the results. As for my personal situation, there are no new developments at the moment. I had planned to meet with the president yesterday, but it didn't happen because I had a dentist appointment, and today he's in Paraguay. We'll be in touch, and as soon as there's news to announce, we'll let everyone know. Nothing has changed so far."

Regarding squad renewal, Scaloni stated that making personnel adjustments after the World Cup is a natural choice: "The call-up list itself is a sign of what any coach would do. After the World Cup, it's a good time to make some personnel changes. There are many young players on the team now, and we're doing the same thing we did in 2018, when we didn't know if we'd continue coaching. We work for the national team, not for personal interests. Everything takes time, and we hope these young players can stay with us."

Regarding the World Cup final loss, Scaloni admitted frankly: "Not winning the title was a huge blow; we were just one step away from winning the World Cup again. But the position I'm in now is a dream, and that won't change."

He also stated that he still needs to speak with Tapia: "Next, I need to sit down and talk with the president, but that hasn't happened yet. So any other claims that appear externally are not true; everything is as it was, and our current work is to give these young players opportunities to play."

Finally, Scaloni directly stated that he still has the desire to continue coaching: "I really want to stay here, but there are many aspects that need to be discussed, and I need to sit down and talk with the president. After such a special World Cup, you always reconsider some things, and we'll see what happens next."

Scaloni also spoke about Messi's absence from the squad this time, expressing his desire to personally witness the captain's farewell.

He stated: "I believe a player like Messi deserves his own farewell ceremony. I did my part because I hoped to be able to attend his farewell, and I don't know if I'll still be here in the future, so we worked together to make this return happen, and he also made an effort for it."

"If it's to pay tribute to him, now is the best time to make him feel everyone's love. I spoke with him and hoped to convince him to return, because no one knows what will happen in the future, and he understood that. The Argentine Football Association also made an effort; it's a wonderful thing, and he deserves all of it."

Regarding the various "conspiracy theories" appearing externally, Scaloni responded: "Nonsense..."

Traduzido por IA.

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