Argentina vs Honduras LIVE Football Score 24/09/2022

Argentina vs Honduras LIVE Football Score 24/09/2022

Argentina take on Honduras in an international friendly at Hard Rock Stadium in Florida, USA, on Friday evening local time. The match will provide crucial preparation for the South American side ahead of the forthcoming winter World Cup in Qatar.Having comfortably qualified for their 13th successive World Cup appearance by finishing second behind Brazil with 39 points from 17 matches in the CONMEBOL section of qualifying, Argentina will be hopeful of competing in the latter stages of football’s biggest tournament. La Albiceleste have not lifted the Jules Rimet trophy since triumphing in Mexico in 1986, although they have twice lost in the final to Germany since then, most recently after extra-time in Brazil in 2014.

Given that Lionel Messi turned 35 earlier this year, it could be one of the greatest footballers of all time’s last opportunity to follow in Diego Maradona’s footsteps and captain his nation to glory on the world stage. With Lionel Scaloni at the helm, there is little doubt that they are a more effective unit than at perhaps any point during Messi’s playing career, having triumphed at the Copa America last summer before beating Euro 2020 winners Italy 3-0 at Wembley Stadium in the Cup of Champions in June. Having been drawn alongside Poland, Mexico and Saudi Arabia in Group C, Scaloni will be ultra confident of topping the group and reaching the knockout stages, and from there serious momentum could be built.Honduras, on the other hand, suffered a dismal qualifying process, finishing bottom of the CONCACAF section with only four points from 14 matches.

For a nation which has qualified for two of the previous three World Cup tournaments, albeit only one other in their history when reaching the 1982 World Cup in Spain, that poor return represented a serious comedown. It was no surprise to see Hernan Gomez’s brief reign come to an end in late March, then, with Diego Vasquez chosen as his permanent successor after an initial interim period. The 51-year-old has repaid the faith shown in him with two wins from three matches so far, including an impressive 2-1 win over Canada, who have qualified for their first World Cup in 36 years.

Born in San Martin, Argentina, Vasquez will be determined to see his side remain competitive against his country of birth in Florida on Friday, as he looks to build a new era at Honduras and make them a more resolute team once again.Argentina have been rocked by visa issues preventing Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez travelling from England to the United States, with the defensive duo facing a race against time to be included in the squad against Honduras. Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the US embassy in England has been closed, meaning the pair have had to fly home to Argentina and process their applications from there instead.

Nicolas Otamendi is likely to start at the heart of the defence in any case, with Udinese’s Nehuen Perez primed to make his international debut should Romero or Martinez not be considered from the outset. Likewise, Benfica’s Enzo Fernandez and Atlanta United’s Thiago Almada will hope to receive their first caps at some point during the clash, but Scaloni will not want to tinker too significantly given that this is Argentina’s penultimate match before the World Cup begins.Honduras, meanwhile, have named five uncapped players in their squad, including Minnesota United midfielder Joseph Rosales.

Of the starting XI which defeated Canada 2-1 in June, only Kevin Lopez and Rubilio Castillo have not made the trip to Florida. Vasquez used a 4-4-2 formation in that match, so he is likely to bring an extra defender or midfielder into the side to avoid being too open against a nation containing several supreme attacking talents.South Florida soccer fans will get a rare opportunity to see Lionel Messi play in person on Friday night at Hard Rock Stadium as the World Cup-bound Argentina national team faces Honduras in a friendly match. La Albiceleste, as the Argentine squad is known, will try to extend its win streak to 34 matches since a 2019 Copa America semifinal loss to Brazil.

Under the direction of 44-year-old rookie coach Lionel Scaloni, Argentina won the 2021 Copa America for its first major title since 1993, qualified for the 2022 World Cup, and beat European champion Italy 3-0 in June in a highly publicized “Finalissimo” match at Wembley Stadium in London. Scaloni, whose playing career ended in 2015, was appointed coach in 2018 after Argentina had a disappointing finish in the Russia World Cup. It was his first coaching job at the senior level and, naturally, there were skeptics in the passionate Argentine fan base.

He had just two years of experience as an assistant coach when he took over. His coaching career began in 2016 when he joined compatriot Jorge Sampaoli’s coaching staff at Sevilla FC. In June 2017, when Sampaoli was named Argentina head coach, Scaloni followed him as an assistant.One year later, after Argentina was knocked out by France in the Round of 16 at the 2018 World Cup, Sampaoli was let go. Scaloni and Pablo Aimar were named interim managers. That winter, Scaloni was given the permanent position. He tinkered with the offense to create a system that best suits seven-time World Player of the Year Messi, whose remarkable resume is missing a World Cup trophy. Scaloni also has bolstered a defense that struggled in Russia. Argentina lost its opener 3-0 to Croatia, tied Iceland 1-1, beat Nigeria 2-1 and then lost 4-3 to France. The addition of goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and center back Cristian Romero has helped. Argentina has allowed a total of two goals in the past 12 games.