Lisandro back, Algeria lodge Messi complaint, Alvarez to start

Lisandro Martínez: miraculous recovery, ready for the World Cup

Lisandro Martínez is back, and nobody saw this timeline coming. The Manchester United defender has completed what MARCA calls a "miraculous recovery" and is available for Argentina at this World Cup (1). He is fit. He is in the squad. For a player whose season looked over months ago, this changes everything for Scaloni's backline.

Algeria lodge formal FIFA complaint over Messi incident

Algeria have filed an official complaint to FIFA over a potential red card incident involving Lionel Messi during the Argentina match on June 16 (2) (5) (7) (9). The Algerian federation believes Messi should have been sent off and wants the referee's decision reviewed. The complaint has been confirmed by multiple outlets, including AFP and Record. FIFA have not yet responded publicly.

Julián Alvarez set to start against Austria on Monday

Scaloni is making a change for the second group match against Austria on Monday. Julián Alvarez is expected to start, according to reports from Brazil (4). The full lineup is still taking shape, with Molina, Montiel, Almada, Nico González, and Dibu Martínez all in the mix for the XI (4) (6) (8). Argentina play at a modern, covered stadium with a massive screen, a venue built for the occasion (8).

Fan reactions

The Enzo Fernández debate is still simmering. One Real Madrid supporter took to Reddit arguing that Enzo would improve their midfield, acknowledging the baggage but pointing to his World Cup-winning pedigree. The thread is a reminder that Argentine players carry every conversation with them into this tournament, for better or worse.

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