Messi leads Argentina in the friendlies of Australia and Indonesia in China

The almost complete squad of the Argentine national team that won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, led by the “flea” Lionel Messi, was summoned to play two friendly matches in Asia in mid-June.

Minor marginal adjustments were made by coach Lionel Scaloni to this international window before the start of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
Argentina will face Australia on June 15 in Beijing, and Indonesia four days later in Jakarta.

In the attack, Giovanni Simeone (Napoli, Italy) will replace the absence of Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan), who is scheduled to undergo treatment for ankle pain after the Champions League final scheduled for June 10 against Manchester City, England.

And there will be new blood in the attack alongside the trio of Angel Di Maria (Juventus, Italy), Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain, France) and Julian Alvares (Manchester City, England), with Nicholas Gonzalez (Fiorentina, Italy), who was excluded from the World Cup at the last minute due to Injury, and young Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United, England).

In defense, Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille, France), who was absent from the national team a few minutes ago in 2019, will have the opportunity to play a third time for “Albiceleste”, similar to Facundo Medina (French Lens).

And this meeting in Beijing against the Australian national team, which Argentina defeated 2-1 in the round of 16 in the World Cup in Qatar, will mark a great return to international football in China after three years of strict health restrictions that emptied stadiums and led to the cancellation of several sports competitions.