Thiago Almada Poised to Start for Argentina Against Argelia
thiago almada is expected to start against Argelia in Kansas City, and Lionel Scaloni has been imagining him in that role for months. The move points to a larger adjustment in Argentina’s attack, with Almada viewed as one of the team’s main offensive hopes as the World Cup begins.
Scaloni’s Almada Plan
Scaloni sees Almada as the ideal replacement for Ángel Di María, even if the two players bring different qualities. The Argentina coach has said the step into European football has been important for him, adding: “El paso de Almada al fútbol europeo ha sido clave. Yo lo conozco desde las juveniles; ha estado en el Mundial, pero tenemos que ir poco a poco. Hizo un gol hermoso y es bueno que haya colaborado para el equipo”.
That role has been building behind the scenes for months. Almada shared FIFA Media Day with Nicolás Otamendi at the team hotel last Thursday, a small sign of how central he has become in the squad’s current plans rather than a late-moving option.
Argentina’s Qatar Core
Argentina will bring 17 players from the squad that won in Qatar, and most of the starters from the final against France in Lusail are expected to begin again in Kansas City. Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernández already have two midfield spots locked down, leaving Almada near one opening that also involves Giovani Lo Celso, Nicolás González and Giuliano Simeone.
The other vacant midfield place is set to go to Leandro Paredes or Rodrigo De Paul. That leaves Argentina with a familiar spine and one notable change: Almada is moving from a supporting role into the kind of starting position that can reshape how the team builds attacks around its established core.
Almada’s Recent Output
His case is built on more than a single goal. Almada has 16 appearances and five goals for Argentina, and he was a standout against Uruguay in Montevideo and Colombia at the Monumental, where he scored.
He also arrives with more European experience and more demands on his all-around game. Almada said: “En el fútbol de hoy en día hay que correr para ayudar. Y yo lo puedo hacer tranquilamente” and “En Europa voy aprendiendo algunas cosas nuevas como jugar más sin la pelota, pensar los movimientos y mirar bien antes de recibir”.
That evolution matters because his World Cup role now looks very different from Qatar, where he played only six minutes after coming on for Nicolás González. He is no longer being asked to wait his turn in the background; he is being lined up to start in a match that could tell Argentina how far its post-Qatar attack has already shifted.
