Without Lionel Messi, confirmed lineups for Argentina vs Venezuela in international friendly

Argentina and Venezuela arrive at the October international break in very different situations. While Lionel Messi and his teammates secured qualification for the FIFA World Cup 2026 some time ago, their opponents were eliminated on the final matchday of the qualifiers, losing the chance to compete in the world tournament for the first time in their history.

This Friday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, the two teams will meet in a friendly that will allow both coaches to test new options and shape their squads for the future. In Lionel Scaloni’s case, it’s a valuable opportunity to give playing time to young talents like Nicolas Paz.

However, the spotlight is on Lionel Messi. He was part of Argentina’s squad and had been training with his teammates throughout the week, but he won’t be considered for tonight’s game against Venezuela. Reports indicate that he stepped away from the Argentina squad to return to Inter Miami ahead of Saturday’s match against Atlanta United.

While it would be unusual for a player to interrupt national team duty to appear for his club and then rejoin the squad, the fact that all parties are in the same city could make it feasible for Leo to play against Atlanta United and then face Puerto Rico on Tuesday. In fact, neither Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni nor Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano ruled out the possibility when asked publicly.

Argentina confirmed lineup

Amid the speculation, Lionel Messi won’t be playing for Argentina vs Venezuela onFriday night. Instead, Nicolas Paz will take on the playmaker role, joining Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez in the attack.

The XI selected by Lionel Scaloni is: Emiliano Martinez; Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Marcos Senesi, Nicolas Tagliafico; Enzo Fernandez, Leandro Paredes, Giovani Lo Celso; Nicolas Paz, Lautaro Martinez, Julian Alvarez.

Venezuela confirmed lineup

After being eliminated from World Cup qualifiers, Fernando Batista’s tenure as Venezuela’s coach came to an end, having failed to lead the team to its first-ever appearance at the FIFA tournament. Now, Oswaldo Vizcarrondo is serving as interim head coach until a new manager is hired for the next World Cup cycle.

Vizcarrondo’s XI to face Argentina is: Jose Contreras; Jon Aramburu, Alessandro Milani, Teo Quintero, Nahuel Ferraresi, Gleiker Mendoza; Cristian Casseres, Telasco Segovia, Alejandro Marquez Juan Pablo Añor; Kervin Andrade.