Uruguay and Argentina face each other on Friday (21/03), at 20:30 GMT), at the Centenary Stadium, in Montevideo, for the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. In addition to the embezzlement of Messi, striker Lautaro Martínez does not play either.
But why isn’t the attacker on the field? What happened? THE Sporting News show.
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What happened to Lautaro Martínez?
Last Wednesday (03/19), AFA (Argentina Football Association) reported that Lautaro Martínez was cut from this FIFA date due to a muscle injury to the left thigh.
“Striker Lautaro Martínez will be out of the cast for the double March meeting due to a muscle injury on the lower thigh tendon,” said AFA on social networks. Thus, the player is also out of the duel against Brazil, next Tuesday (25/03).
In these qualifiers, Lautaro has three goals scored, being Argentina’s vice-scorer, one behind Lionel Messi.
The striker Lautaro Martínez will be low from the call for this double date of March due to a muscular lesion in ischiotibial left member.
– 🇦🇷 Argentine National Team ⭐⭐⭐ (@Argentina)
The Calls of the Argentine National Team
- Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa), Gerónimo Rulli (Olympique of Marseille) and Walter Benitez (PSV)
- Defenders: Juan Foyth (Villarreal), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Germán Pezzela (River Plate), Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille Olympique), Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica), Facundo Medina (Lens) and Nicolás Tagliafico (Lyon)
- Socks: Leandro Paredes (Rome), Enzo Fernández (Chelsea), Rodrigo de Paul (Atletico Madrid), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Máximo Perrone (such as 1907), Giuliano Simeone (Atletico de Madrid), Benjamin Rodriguez (Bologna) (Lyon);
- Attackers: Nicolás González (Juventus), Ángel Correa (Atlético de Madrid), Nicolás Paz (as 1907), Julián Álvarez (Atlético de Madrid) and Santiago Castro (Bologna)
- Cut: Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan)
Classification of the qualifiers
| Position | Selection | Points | Games | Wins | Tie | Defeats | GP | GC | SG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1º | Argentina | 25 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 21 | 7 | 14 |
| 2º | Brazil | 21 | 13 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 19 | 12 | 7 |
| 3º | Uruguay | 20 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 17 | 9 | 8 |
| 4º | Paraguay | 20 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 2 |
| 5º | Ecuador | 19 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 4 | 7 |
| 6º | Colombia | 19 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 16 | 12 | 4 |
| 7º | Bolivia | 13 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 14 | 30 | -16 |
| 8º | Venezuela | 12 | 12 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 15 | -4 |
| 9º | Peru | 10 | 13 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 16 | -10 |
| 10º | Chile | 9 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 21 | -12 |
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Qualifiers: Next Games
Round 13
March 20, Thursday
- 20h (Brasilia): Paraguay 1 x 0 Chile
- 9:45 pm (from Brasilia): Brazil 2 x 1 Colombia
- 10:30 pm (from Brasilia): Peru 3 x 1 Bolivia
March 21, Friday
- 18h (Brasilia): Ecuador x Venezuela
- 8:30 pm (from Brasilia): Uruguay x Argentina
Round 14
March 25, Tuesday
- 17h (from Brasilia): Bolivia x Uruguay
- 21h (Brasilia): Colombia x Paraguay
- 21h (from Brasilia): Venezuela x Peru
- 21h (from Brasilia): Argentina x Brazil
- 21h (Brasilia): Chile x Ecuador
