The Argentine men’s national football team is set to take on Egypt in the World Cup 2026 quarters-finals on Tuesday.

The team led by Lionel Messi had its fair share of trouble against Cape Verde, requiring extra time and a big effort from every one of its stars to make it past the African team and reach the round of 16.

Going up now against another strong contender from Africa, the team coached by Lionel Scaloni needs to up its game to move into the quarters.

“There were some defensive issues where we need to be more organized,” said defender Nahuel Molina on Monday, ahead of the last training session before the match, “We could have handled both goals better.”

The right-back, who started against Cape Verde but has often alternated in the spot with River Plate’s Gonzalo Montiel, said the team needs to “stay as calm and composed as possible” to respond in the best way, and insisted Argentina has remained “a force to be reckoned with” throughout the tournament.

Another who talked ahead of the last practice was Boca Juniors’ Leandro Paredes, who echoed Scaloni’s words about the level of teams at the World Cup.

“All the teams are very competitive,” he said. “There are no easy games, and they’re all very well prepared.”

Paredes highlighted the impact of the heat in the game against Cape Verde, saying it “made a big impact,” but insisted the team is “doing well physically.”

“We want to play our best game,” he added, “Winning is important too, but against Egypt we’ll try to play the way we want to.”

Who will play for Argentina against Egypt?

The Albiceleste is set to play against Egypt on Tuesday at 1 p.m. Argentina time, at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

The lineup is expected to remain similar to the one against Cape Verde, with the only question coming up at left back, where usual starter Nicolás Tagliafico has proven to be back at full strength, while Lautaro Martínez seems to be edging out Julián Álvarez once again for the spot next to Messi in the attack.

In midfield, Paredes impressed after coming on against the Blue Sharks, and could be given the nod over Alexis Mac Allister or Enzo Fernández.