Argentina to stroll to victory in final friendly
Argentina will round off their preparations for the 2022 World Cup with a friendly against the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday afternoon at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium. The result isn't too important, but Lionel Scaloni will be looking for both cohesion and an injury-free contest with the festivities in Qatar just days away. Read our preview here:
Cry for Caio
Head coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena, an Argentinian national himself, has presided over six games for Al Abyad since his appointment earlier in the year and only gained one win, which was a surprising victory over South Korea in qualification for this year's tournament. That victory was vital in setting up the first play-off round against Australia, where a late goal for the Socceroos proved too much to come back from in the 2-1 defeat. The goalscorer that day was Al-Ain's Caio Canedo, who is one of the Brazilian-born contingent in the squad. He is their best chance of grabbing another strike during the game.
Dyb, dib, dib
Meanwhile, Scaloni will be using the game to assess the credentials and match fitness of several of his roster, with Paulo Dybala perhaps the most prominent name undergoing that examination. The forward has had a productive campaign with Roma when available, but has only just really begun his return to first team action in the past week. His chances of making the first XI in the opening group game against Saudi Arabia in six days completely hinge on which formation his boss opts for in tandem with his own individual display against what is set to be two deep banks of four.
Betting tip
Casumo have odds of 2.90 for La Albiceleste to score more than three.
