Scaloni sees Brazil and France among World Cup favorites: "To pay attention"
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni did not hesitate when asked about the best teams for the 2026 World Cup. He mentioned Brazil among the highlights, but made a point of giving special attention to France in the current scenario of the competition.
The statements were made at a press conference before Argentina's match this Friday (2), in Miami. The duel is valid for the round of 32 round of the World Cup, where the brothers will face Cape Verde, considered the big surprise of the tournament so far.
Regarding the new format of the World Cup, with one more game in the round of 16, Scaloni minimized the changes, stating that "it doesn't make that much difference". When naming his favorites, he mentioned Brazil, without leaving his opponents from the last World Cup aside.
"The teams that are doing well are the ones that everyone is talking about: France, Brazil... They are teams that should go until the end. I saw Mexico and played a great game against Ecuador. Colombia is doing very well. Spain, obviously. I don't want to forget any of them, there's Portugal, England. It's true that what France did is something to pay attention to, they're a great team", he said.
Scaloni, Argentina coach
Criticism of the heat in Miami
Scaloni criticized the time of the match against Cape Verde, scheduled for 7pm (6pm local time), due to the "strong heat in Florida". He argued that playing in Miami at this time, with the heat and humidity, is "contradictory", especially since the game could be played later in the evening.
"It's a problem for both [teams] and for the show. The show will logically not be the same. But that's it, we have to play, there's nothing we can do," said the coach. He recalled that the final of the last Copa América, also played in Miami, started at a later time due to weather conditions.
Argentina's campaign in the World Cup
The current world champion, Argentina, did not encounter any difficulties in the group stage of the competition. Led by Lionel Messi, the team beat Algeria 3-0 and Austria 2-0, with number 10 scoring all the goals in these matches.
In the final round of the group stage, the Argentine team beat Jordan 3-1. In this game, the team used an alternative team, but still had a new goal from Messi at the end of the match, guaranteeing another victory.
Third place in the knockout stage is nothing new in World Cups; remember
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Source: CNN