It’s the first of two clashes between the two teams, both of which are being led by interim managers
The Mexico national team closes out its slate for 2018 with a pair of matches against Argentina.
The contest, in Cordoba, pits a pair of interim managers against each other with Mexico being led by Ricardo “Tuca” Ferretti and Lionel Scaloni holding the reins for Argentina.
While each team is still looking for long-term leadership, there is only one FIFA date before the summer tournaments with Argentina looking to win its first Copa America since 1993 and Mexico hoping to bounce back from a 2017 in which a B team let the Gold Cup slip away.
The matches should provide a great chance for players to showcase their skills, even if the coach in Friday’s match won’t be the one making the calls for the tournament squads.
| Game | Argentina vs Mexico |
| Date | Friday, November 16 |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
In the United States, the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial) .
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
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| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Univision Deportes Network | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
| Position | Mexico players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Ochoa, Corona, Gonzalez |
| Defenders | Alvarez, Arteaga, Araujo, Reyes, Layun, Gallardo, Rodriguez |
| Midfielders | Guemez, Aguirre, Guzman, Duenas, Brizuela, Gutierrez, Aquino, Alvarado, Fabian |
| Forwards | Jimenez, Pulido, Zaldivar, Martin |
Hirving Lozano and Jesus Angulo both were called up to the roster initially but withdrew because of injuries.
Mexico is otherwise healthy, with Europe-based players more likely to play in the first match than the second as Ferretti looks to send some of the players back to their clubs with as much time as possible.
Mexico XI: Ochoa; Layun, Araujo, Reyes, Gallardo; Aguirre, Gutierrez; Fabian, Guzman, Aquino; Jimenez
| Position | Argentina players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Romero, Marchesin, Gazzaniga, Rulli |
| Defenders | Mercado, Tagliafico, Foyth, Mammana, Acuna, Funes Mori, Kannemann, Saravia |
| Midfielders | Paredes, Pereyra, Meza, Ascasibar, De Paul, Lamela, Lo Celso, Cervi, Vaquez, Gimenez |
| Forwards | Icardi, Correa, Simeone, Dybala, Martinez |
Argentina XI: Marchesin; Saravia, Foyth, Funes Mori, Tagliafico; Correa, Lo Celso, Paredes, Acuna; Dybala, Martínez
It’s the first of a double-bill between Argentina and Mexico on Friday. With most European teams occupied with the Nations League, El Tri and the Albiceleste are playing not once but twice during the FIFA window.
Both teams find themselves in similar situations. Currently being led by an interim manager (with both reportedly eyeing up Atlanta United coach Tata Martino as a potential long-term option), it’s about looking to the future.
Yet with continental championships looming in the summer of 2019 and changes needed after falling short of goals at the World Cup, both teams also are looking for some players who are ready for the international stage right away. Neither has their top star either, with Argentina’s Lionel Messi coming off a broken arm and yet to return to the national team since the World Cup and Mexico’s Hirving Lozano pulling out with a hamstring complaint.
There are still plenty of quality players, though. Serie A-based duo Pablo Dybala and Lautaro Martínez are set to challenge Mexico’s center-back pairing of the future in Nestor Araujo and Diego Reyes, while Wolves forward Raul Jimenez and rising Pachuca star Victor Guzman will look to put pressure on Argentina’s goal.
There also will be familiar faces, with Club America goalkeeper Agustin Marchesin set to earn his fourth career cap as he faces many players who he’s been club teammates with or has faced in Liga MX.
Ferretti has made it his custom to send players back to their clubs as quickly as possible and says he wants to give everyone on the squad a chance to play during this window. That means to expect a squad featuring most of El Tri’s Europe-based players before they head back out of town to link up with their clubs rather than make the long flight back just three days before their next matches.
It sets up to be a game that may be the more enjoyable of the two – or at least feature the best possible players in this unconventional double-feature.