Overview
The Argentine national team raised the 2022 World Cup championship trophy, largely thanks to the brilliance of Lionel Messi, and the defending champion will really want to contribute to further consolidating this superstar's legacy this summer.
Argentina won a ticket to the 2026 World Cup very early and finished the South American regional qualifiers in the leading position with 38 points, 9 points more than the second-placed team. Despite closing the qualifying campaign with a 0-1 defeat to Ecuador, Scaloni's team quickly regained their form.
After that stumble, Albiceleste won all 6 consecutive matches in all competitions. Most recently, the 2-0 victory over Honduras. Notably, Argentina has kept a clean sheet in five of the last six victories. The solidity in the defense is becoming an important fulcrum for the South American team's ambition to defend the throne.
Not only defending well, Argentina's attack also maintains an admirable efficiency with 18 goals scored in the last 6 matches. Stable form at both ends of the field helps the reigning champion enter the 2026 World Cup with great confidence.
In the opposite direction, Iceland continues to face a difficult period after failing to qualify for the World Cup.
Coach Arnar Gunnlaugsson's team is looking for a new start, but the immediate challenge is extremely great when facing the reigning world champion.
Iceland entered this match after a 0-1 defeat to Japan. Koki Ogawa scored the only goal of the match in the 87th minute, causing the Northern European representative to extend their forgettable streak.
That result means Iceland has gone through 5 consecutive matches without knowing the taste of victory. This series of decline in form started after the 2-0 victory over Azerbaijan in November last year.
Further back, the victory over Azerbaijan is also the only time Iceland has triumphed in the last 9 matches. During this period, they suffered five defeats and three draws.
With completely opposite form between the two teams, Argentina is clearly rated much higher before the confrontation in the US. This will be an opportunity for Lionel Scaloni's team to continue to improve the squad and maintain excitement before entering the journey to defend the World Cup championship.
Personnel situation
Messi has returned to the Argentina squad in the friendly match against Honduras after recovering from a hamstring injury. However, the captain of Albiceleste is only sitting on the bench and is not used.
In the clash with Iceland, Scaloni is likely to remain cautious with the 38-year-old star. Messi is unlikely to start from the beginning but may be brought on in the second half to regain his fighting spirit.
On the other side, Iceland is likely to continue to place their trust in goalkeeper Hakon Valdimarsson. His task will not be easy when facing the attack of the reigning world champion.
The trio of center-backs Daniel Gretarsson, Hjortur Hermannsson and Hordur Magnusson are expected to create a solid shield in front of Iceland's goal.
Expected lineup:
Musso, Giay, Romero, Martinez, Tagliafico, Simeone, Mac Allister, Fernandez, Gonzalez, Martinez, Almada.
Valdimarsson, Thorhallsson, Gretarsson, Hermannsson, Magnusson, Tomasson, Ellertsson, G. Thordarson, Baldursson, Gudmundsson, Oskarsson.
The match between Argentina and Iceland takes place at 8:00 AM on June 10th (Vietnam time).
