World champions Argentina meet with Australia for an international friendly in the Chinese capital of Beijing on Thursday.
Six months ago, Argentina defeated Australia 2-1 in the last 16 of the Qatar World Cup en route to lifting the trophy. That triumph saw the Albiceleste extend their winning streak against the Socceroos to five matches, with Australia’s only victory over Argentina coming all the way back in 1988.
Lionel Scaloni’s side have played two games since securing the prestigious silverware in December, beating Panama 2-0 before thrashing Curacao 7-0. Lionel Messi netted a hat-trick in March’s route, surpassing 100 international goals in the process.
Argentina carried a mammoth 36-game unbeaten run into the World Cup, only to lose 2-1 to Saudi Arabia in their opening clash of the tournament. However, Scaloni’s men recovered to dispatch Mexico, Poland, Australia, Netherlands and Croatia before beating France on penalties in the final.
Consequently, the South American giants have now lost just one of their last 45 matches across all competitions, scoring at least three goals in nine of their previous 14.
Like Argentina, Australia have played two friendlies since the World Cup, recording a victory and a defeat against Ecuador back in March. After winning 3-1 in Sydney, the Socceroos suffered a 2-1 defeat in Melbourne.
It’s fair to say that Graham Arnold’s men exceeded all expectations in Qatar. Granted, they were crushed 4-1 by France in their opening game, but they managed to reach the knockout phase – against the odds – thanks to 1-0 victories over Tunisia and Denmark.
After drawing only one of their previous 13 matches across all competitions – recording seven wins and five losses along the way – the Aussies have gained a reputation for their all-or-nothing approach under Arnold.
The Socceroos manager could hand international debuts to Parma’s 19-year-old defender Alessandro Circati and Melbourne City goalkeeper Tom Glover, while Hearts duo Kye Rowels, Nathaniel Atkinson and Cameron Devlin have also been included in the squad.
Fresh from clinching his fourth successive A-League Golden Boot – and his fifth in seven years – Melbourne City striker Jamie Maclaren is expected to lead the line for Australia on Thursday.
As for Argentina, they have called up two uncapped 18-year-olds in Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho and Brighton & Hove Albion’s Facundo Buonanotte. Fellow Premier League stars Emiliano Martinez, Cristian Romero, Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez also feature in the 27-man squad.
Boasting an outrageous record of 102 goals and 56 assists in 174 international appearances, MLS-bound Lionel Messi will be hopeful of enhancing his tally before teaming up with Inter Miami.
Expert Insight: With all due respect to Australia, anything other than a straightforward Argentina victory would be a big shock here. Although the Socceroos pushed the Albiceleste all the way in Qatar, the world champions can play with freedom and flex their muscles in front of a largely neutral crowd in Beijing.
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