The center-back is recovered and will receive a boost of morale and affection before returning to Luz
Nicolás Otamendi, 38, the Argentine center-back for Benfica and the World Cup-winning national team, recently confirmed that he will retire from his country’s team at the end of the 2026 World Cup, something that Lionel Messi, Argentina’s star, has also announced.
The game against Zambia in Buenos Aires, scheduled for the early hours of Wednesday, therefore takes on a dramatic weight, as from a sporting point of view it is just another preparation match for both teams. Otamendi and Messi will therefore say goodbye to the Argentine public on Argentine soil, given that this is the last match played in the country before the competition that will take place in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Lionel Scaloni, the Argentina national team coach, has confirmed in advance that Benfica’s captain will play and explained why: he deserves to be honored. “Otamendi didn’t play the other day [against Mauritania] because of some discomfort, but he’ll be there tomorrow [today]. He deserves to play his last game for Argentina,” said Scaloni.
Nicolás Otamendi, it should be remembered, has been sidelined for three weeks, his last appearance in competition being the clásico against FC Porto at the Estádio da Luz in the league (2-2). However, the Argentina coach now reveals that the central defender has fully recovered, especially since he has already been on the field in a joint training session with the Argentine U-20 team, an opportunity for Scaloni to give playing time to players who were not on the field or who had few minutes in the friendly match against Mauritania (2-1).
This is good news for José Mourinho, the Benfica coach, and for Benfica itself, as they travel to Rio Maior to face Casa Pia on April 6th (Monday) at 8:45 PM, a match counting towards the 28th round of the Liga.
It should also be noted that Otamendi is the fifth player with the most international caps for Argentina (129), behind Messi (197), Mascherano (147), Di María (138), and Javier Zanetti (144).
Another Benfica player in the spotlight for the Argentine national team is winger Gianluca Prestianni, who didn’t get any playing time in the match against Mauritania (he was even left out of the matchday squad), but it is expected that he will be available for the match against Zambia.
