Argentina‘s superstar goalkeeper Emiliano “Dibu” Martinez will sit out tonight’s pre-World Cup friendly against Honduras at Kyle Field as he continues to recover from a fractured ring finger on his right hand.
The Aston Villa goalkeeper originally suffered the injury during warm-ups for the UEFA Europa League final against Freiburg, though he miraculously played through the fracture to help his club secure a 3-0 victory and the European trophy.
Following subsequent medical evaluations, Martinez immediately entered a specialized rehabilitation program, completely ruling him out of action for Argentina’s two-match warm-up slate.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, manager Lionel Scaloni confirmed that Juan Musso will get the starting nod in goal tonight against Honduras, while Geronimo Rulli is scheduled to start between the posts for their next friendly against Iceland on June 9.
Scaloni also refused to rule out the possibility of giving some playing time to Santiago Beltran. The River Plate youngster traveled with the senior delegation as a developmental fourth goalkeeper and could see minutes off the bench either tonight or in the upcoming match against Iceland.
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Martinez isn’t the only fitness concern for Scaloni
Argentina is navigating a tricky injury landscape just days away from their official 2026 World Cup group opener against Algeria on June 16. In addition to Martinez, several names—including Leandro Paredes, Gonzalo Montiel, Nahuel Molina, Nico Paz, Julian Alvarez, Cristian Romero, and captain Lionel Messi—have been managing varying degrees of physical discomfort.
While a few individuals have entered the final stages of rehabilitation and recently rejoined full squad training, others continue to work on isolated, individual programs to ensure they hit peak physical condition by the time the tournament kicks off in North America.
Amid these lingering fitness concerns, the Argentine manager was brutally honest with reporters, warning his players that anyone who isn’t performing at 100% physical capacity risks being cut from the final 26-man World Cup roster.
“Could it happen? Absolutely,” Scaloni warned regarding potential last-minute changes to his final squad list. “We are entirely clear on the fact that if a player is not physically right, they will be left out. We have no doubts about that“.
