Buenos Aires, March 18 (NA) – Argentine forward Joaquín Panichelli was not included in the list of players called up by the head coach of the Argentina national team, Lionel Scaloni, for the friendly match against Guatemala, with the 2026 World Cup on the horizon. According to the Argentine News Agency, the 23-year-old forward, who plays for Racing Strasbourg in France, was not part of the albiceleste squad, despite having a great season in which he scored 18 goals and provided 4 assists in 37 matches played. It was known that players called up by the technical director from Pujato, Lionel Messi and Julián Álvarez, would have a guaranteed place, while Giuliano Simeone and Thiago Almada were competing for a forward position. However, due to Lautaro Martínez's absence due to injury, everything seemed to indicate that the Córdovan was one of the favorites to replace him, but he was ultimately left out of the squad in a decision that surprised many. Instead of Panichelli, Scaloni opted to call up José Manuel López from Palmeiras in Brazil; Gianluca Prestianni, a forward from Benfica in Portugal, and Nicolás González, a winger from Atlético de Madrid (Spain). The latter played 32 matches in the current season, scoring 3 goals and providing no assists. Additionally, he missed some matches due to a muscle injury that sidelined him. On the other hand, the match against Guatemala, scheduled for Tuesday, March 31, will be the team's farewell in the country before the World Cup to be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. In this context, if Panichelli wants to be included in the squad for the next World Cup, he must continue with his current level of play and even improve it to be considered by the albiceleste coach.
