Overview

• Lionel Messi will sit out the trip to Ecuador by mutual decision with the staff, saying he prefers to rest after a recent injury and avoid risks before a busy MLS stretch.
• Cristian “Cuti” Romero is unavailable due to yellow-card accumulation, leaving Argentina light at centre-back for Tuesday’s qualifier.
• Coach Lionel Scaloni said the staff is assessing whether to add a defender and noted the depth issue in that role, with no replacement called as of Saturday morning.
• Candidates to cover the attacking void include Thiago Almada, Franco Mastantuono and Valentín Carboni, with a possible Julián Álvarez–Lautaro Martínez pairing also under consideration.
• The squad completed regeneration and technical work at Ezeiza and will train again before traveling for the final qualifier in Ecuador, a match that follows Argentina’s clinching of first place.