Argentina will look to rebound from their FIFA World Cup 2022 opener loss against Saudi Arabia when they take on Mexico at the Lusail Stadium on Saturday. A draw or loss could make knockouts qualification difficult for Lionel Messi and co, who are currently placed at the bottom of Group C. 

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One key player Argentina missed during their 2-1 loss against Saudi was forward Paulo Dybala. The AS Roma player sustained a hamstring injury in October and missed eight games for the Serie A club. He was a late substitute in their last game, against Torino, before the World Cup break. 

Dybala missed his team’s opener against Saudi Arabia and the Argentine attack, without him, looked toothless. Led by Messi, they could only make six shots on target. 

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Lionel Messi and Lautaro Martinez started the game, with Angel Di Maria and Alejandro Gomez on the wings. Lisandro Martinez, following a fitness issue, started on the bench. However, the Manchester United center back could come in for either Cristian Romero or Nicolas Otamendi vs Mexico. 

Lionel Scaloni, after including Dybala in the World Cup squad, said that he could change his selection because of fitness concerns. The 29-year-old seems to have recovered. The team needs his lethal touch and the game against Mexico could see his first minutes of the ongoing tournament in Qatar. 

Caterina Fulop, mother of Dybala’s girlfriend, said that the Roma star feels excellent and fit. 

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“I spoke a bit with him on the phone, he was in an excellent mood: he feels very well physically he feels fit and energetic, I hope Scaloni employs him at some point. Everyone is doing well and the coach knows what he’s doing. I’m still excited, I sent him and the team a lot of encouragement from the first game. We are still excited, hope is the last thing you lose,” she said, as per ruetir.com. 

If Dybala starts, Di Maria could be benched or Argentina might ask the Juventus player to go on left, Messi on right. Paulo Dybala in that case takes center, with Martinez as the striker.