Cabal of Selection? The new looks of De Paul and Otamendi and the role at the distance of Papu Gomez that went viral

Rodrigo De Paul and Nicolás Otamendi kept the cabal? and showed their looks in a new call for the South American Playoffs. The Atlético de Madrid and Benfica players, respectively, did not count on their teammate Alejandro Papu Gómez, who missed this double date with the Argentine national team because he was injured. However, the Sevilla footballer managed to say present with an occurrence that went viral.

De Paul and Otamendi shared their costumes, which this time were not as striking as in other calls. The photos were published on their Instagram accounts and also with the classic stories. In one of them they mentioned Alejandro Gómez with an animation while he was priming mate. Of course, Papu didn't let her pass and responded with a “I miss you”.

In addition, he shared one of the images edited at the door of the property that AFA owns in Ezeiza where his figure was shown. “Ke camisa, Rey”, they wrote to him and he replied with laughing emojis.

The Argentine national team began preparation today for the last matches of the South American qualifiers against Venezuela and Ecuador in anticipation of Lionel Messi, who will join tomorrow, with further casualties and with the surprise presence of the four sanctioned by the FIFA ruling.

It is worth remembering that Lautaro and Lisandro Martínez were disaffected at the last minute of the call for the last double date, but alongside the squad are Emiliano Dibu Martínez, Cristian Romero, Giovani Lo Celso and Emiliano Buendia, who traveled despite the two sanction dates they received from FIFA.

Lionel Messi, captain of Lionel Scaloni's team, will join this Tuesday along with his teammates in Paris Saint-Germain, Leandro Paredes and Ángel Di Maria. The rosario crack will travel in the next few hours from Paris on board his private plane despite the influenza that marginalized him from the last PSG game.

Messi, Paredes and Di María will complete the albiceleste squad, which this afternoon completed the first training session at the AFA site in Ezeiza. Of these three, Paredes would be the only one to be assured of his presence in Friday's match at 20.30 in La Bombonera against José Néstor Pekerman's Venezuela.

According to the medical report published on Saturday by the French club, Messi had been treated for 48 hours for influenza syndrome, while Fideo Di María dragged the left hamstring injury he suffered in the match against Real Madrid in the European Champions League.

The left-handed attacker traveled the same but it is difficult for him to be in the match on Friday since only this Wednesday will be two of the usual three weeks of recovery that requires a muscle injury.

The commitment and desire to be with the national team was also reflected in the gesture of the four players who were suspended in mid-February, after the FIFA ruling was announced after the classic suspended against Brazil, in São Paulo, and are awaiting the TAS ruling following the AFA appeal.

Lo Celso and Buendía boarded the charter flight that landed today around 2pm and boarded the bus that left through the FBO VIP Club sector of the Ministro Pistarini International Airport in Ezeiza, to travel the short distance to the Julio Humberto Grondona estate.

Dibu Martínez was one of the first to arrive in the country and this afternoon he was photographed with his eldest son on one of the grounds's courts. The Cordovan Cuti Romero, meanwhile, also traveled with his family from London and will join the rally in the next few hours.

Those who will not be in the last two games of the tie will be Lautaro and Lisandro Martínez. El Toro, Argentina's goalscorer in the qualifying competition for Qatar 2022 and the Scaloni cycle, tested positive for the COVID-19 test in Milan before traveling to Madrid to meet the bulk of the players.

The Inter striker played from the start in all 15 matches Argentina played in the qualifiers, whose qualification for Qatar 2022 secured in November last year when he drew scoreless against Brazil in San Juan. The Entrerriano defender, for his part, suffered a hamstring injury in his left leg in the final minutes of the Netherlands classic that Ajax won against Feyenoord in Amsterdam.

These two casualties are added to those of Alejandro Papu Gómez and Marcos Acuña, both ruled out due to the injuries they suffered in Seville. With this scenario, Scaloni will have to reassemble the team that between injuries, doubts and suspensions has seven players less than the starting base.

In replacement of Dibu Martínez will surely be Franco Armani, one of the two cited from local football along with striker Julián Álvarez. In defense, Nahuel Molina, Germán Pezzella would play along with Nicolás Otamendi - who met the date of suspension against Colombia - in the central backward, and Nicolás Tagliafico, the only left-back on the list.

In the midfield, the first question arises since there are several candidates for the place of Lo Celso with Rodrigo De Paul and Leandro Paredes. Exequiel Palacios doesn't have many minutes at Bayer Leverkusen but recovered continuity after a series of injuries; Alexis Mac Allister left a good impression on the last double date but could not play because he was positive for the COVID-19 test; and Manuel Lanzini, a great present at West Ham, could fulfill that role as happened with “Papu” Gomez in the matches against Chile and Colombia.

In the lead there are also questions about the physical condition of Messi and Di Maria and the absence of Lautaro. Nicolás Gonzalez, Lucas Ocampos and Ángel Correa could play on the outside and the options to occupy the center of the offense are Joaquín Correa, Julián Álvarez and debutant Lucas Boyé, in that order of priority.

The agenda of the selected one - already confirmed by the official AFA website - will include afternoon training sessions behind closed doors until Friday, except on Wednesday when the venue will be opened so that the media can broadcast the first fifteen minutes of the practice. Friday at 20.30 in La Bombonera will be the match against Venezuela with Peruvian referee Kevin Ortega and on Saturday they will return to work at 18.30, ahead of Tuesday's match against Ecuador, in Guayaquil.

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