The second of the two friendly opponents is still not confirmed but ahead of November’s match with Russia and one other, Jorge Sampaoli has named his latest Argentina squad. There are no major changes to the group that sealed qualification in Ecuador this month but Roma’s Diego Perotti and Zenit St. Petersburg’s Matías Kranevitter are handed an opportunity while Gonzalo Higuaín remains outside for the time being.
“I came here for this – to lead Argentina to a World Cup. It was my obsession, my life’s goal and now I am here and we have to be prepared for the most difficult task in football,” Sampaoli told the press.
That preparation starts now and Sampaoli will be fully aware of how much there is to do before next summer’s World Cup. Qualification was achieved by the finest of margins after months of anxiety and now Argentina must mold a side that can compete for the greatest prize in football.
[SELECCIÓN MAYOR] Sampaoli dio la lista de futbolistas citados, que militan en clubes del exterior, para los próximos partidos amistosos pic.twitter.com/33tMxsKn2K
— Selección Argentina (@Argentina) October 20, 2017