Overview
- After an approximately 40‑hour journey to Sochi, Peru prepare for Tuesday’s friendly against Chile with interim coach Manuel Barreto trialing tactical variants and considering Fabio Grüber, Piero Quispe and Alex Valera for starts.
- Barreto characterizes his short tenure as a seeding phase to expand the player pool and restore identity, with the Chile match expected to be his final game in charge of this transitional stint.
- Spain take on Georgia without Lamine Yamal, withdrawn after pubalgia treatment, and Pedri, out with a hamstring injury, as Luis de la Fuente emphasizes a long‑term view and positive relations with clubs.
- Argentina closed their 2025 schedule with a 2–0 friendly win over Angola in Luanda, courtesy of goals from Lautaro Martínez and Lionel Messi.
- Looking ahead, reporting indicates an Argentina–Spain Finalissima is targeted for March 27–28, 2026 in Lusail pending official confirmation, while Universitario say they “count on” Jorge Fossati after he noted his contract was signed under a prior administrator.