World champions Argentina will travel to Jakarta to face Indonesia in a friendly on Monday afternoon in what is expected to be a literal David vs Goliath scenario.
Argentina, the top-ranked team in the world FIFA rankings, will look to continue their magnificent run in international competitions when they take on Indonesia on Monday. Since 2020, they have only been beaten once, which was in their World Cup opener against Saudi Arabia.
Since pipping France on penalties in an enthralling World Cup finale in Qatar back in December, Argentina celebrated their glory on home soil in successive friendlies against Panama and Curacao in March, winning both fixtures by an aggregate score of 9-0. And Lionel Messi and co. have kicked off their June international friendly tour in a similar vein.
Messi wowed football fans in China and the rest of the world on Thursday by needing a mere 79 seconds to score a wondergoal, which was the fastest of his career for Argentina in their comfortable 2-0 victory over Australia. La Pulga then weaved magic as he rolled back the years with a scintillating dribble that literally broke the internet.
Unfortunately, the 35-year-old magician will not feature in La Albiceleste’s fixture with Indonesia next week, instead heading out on holiday before he reports to Miami at his new club.
Meanwhile, Indonesia, under the management of Shin Tae-yong, are currently ranked 149th in the world, according to FIFA. Indonesia have played three straight friendlies since losing 2-0 on aggregate to Vietnam in the AFF Championship semi-finals. Two of those friendly matches were against African minnows Burundi during the March international break, and the results were a 3-1 victory and a 2-2 draw.
Indonesia are coming into Monday’s clash off the back of a 0-0 draw against Palestine, extending their unbeaten record in friendlies to nine games. That undefeated streak in friendly games is set to be tested against Argentina, with Indonesia facing the South American nation for the very first time.
Team News & Tactics
Indonesia
Coach Shin Tae-yong will use a three-back formation. Syahrul Trisna, who has made seven international appearances, is expected to start in goal for the hosts. Ipswich Town’s Elkan Baggott and former Swansea City man Jordi Amat will be the headline names in the back-three defence alongside Rizky Ridho.
Meanwhile, Asnawi Mangkualam and Pratama Arhan are expected to feature as the two wing-backs, but will frequently drop back to make a five-man defence given the quality of wingers in the opposition ranks. Marc Klok and Ricky Kambuaya will form the double pivot in midfield, looking to stop the supply of Argentine forwards from the middle of the park.
Rafael Struick, a young forward from Dutch side ADO Den Haag, was handed his senior Indonesia debut from the start against Palestine and will likely keep his spot in the starting XI as the left-sided wideman. Yance Sayuri, who netted seven goals in the Indonesian top-flight last season, will man the opposite flank.
Bhayangkara FC forward Dendy Sulistyawan could be handed the responsibility of leading the line for the hosts, having scored nine goals in Super Liga this past season. Dimas Drajad will serve as the impact option off the bench.
Probable Lineup (5-4-1): Trisna; Mangkualam, Baggott, Amat, Ridho, Arhan; Sayuri, Kambuaya, Klok, Struick: Sulistyawan
Argentina
As alluded to above, Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni will be without the services of their all-time leading goalscorer, Lionel Messi, for Monday’s friendly encounter against Indonesia in Jakarta, while veteran stars Angel Di Maria and Nicolas Otamendi will also sit out this one.
Scaloni may utilise Monday’s contest to give some of his peripheral stars crucial minutes. Geronimo Rulli could replace Emiliano Martinez in between the sticks, which would provide the Ajax shot-stopper with the opportunity to make a rare international appearance.
La Albiceleste se enfrentará a la selección de Indonesia, esperamos un partido con muchos goles – Visita https://t.co/xMUguNYFor para ver las últimas predicciones. Vamos. ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/DGq5MW6ICN
— 🇦🇷 Selección Argentina ⭐⭐⭐ (@Argentina) June 17, 2023
Having scored the second goal against Australia after coming in as a substitute, German Pezzella is set to start in central defence alongside Leonardo Balerdi, flanked by the usual full-back pairing of Nahuel Molina and Marcos Acuna.
Exequiel Palacios has had an excellent season with Bayer Leverkusen at club level and could be rewarded with his first start for La Albiceleste since June 2021 here, with Leandro Paredes and Giovani Lo Celso slotting in their respective slots to make a midfield three.
After making his Argentina bow against Australia, Alejandro Garnacho is in line to make his first start in an Argentina shirt. The Manchester United sensation is set to feature in the front line alongside Sevilla’s Lucas Ocampos and Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez, who is coming off the back of lifting the historic treble with Pep Guardiola’s side.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Rulli; Molina, Balerdi, Pezzella, Acuna; Palacios, Paredes, Lo Celso; Ocampos, Alvarez, Garnacho
Key Stats
- The hosts have suffered just one defeat in their last ten matches, winning seven and keeping four clean sheets.
- The hosts are unbeaten in nine home games across all competitions, excluding Southeast Asian games.
- Argentina have been unstoppable after winning the World Cup and have won their last three games with an aggregate scoreline of 13-0.
Player to Watch
Alejandro Garnacho
Lionel Messi recently said the 2022 World Cup was his last and insisted he has no plans to compete in the 2026 World Cup hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. If that is going to be the case, the challenge ahead is immense without their talisman as they look to defend their crown at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Also, even if Messi makes the tournament, the loss of acceleration speed will surely remove much of his potency. And if Messi, anyway, is irreplaceable, Scaloni can at least look around and see wingers with the potential to tip the balance in three years’ time. One of them is Alejandro Garnacho. Scaloni has said that he is looking forward to seeing the electric Manchester United winger in action over the next few days.
Putting down a marker for the future, Scaloni has included Garnacho in previous squads, and this will be his first opportunity to show what he can do from the get-go.
Prediction
Indonesia 0-3 Argentina
Lionel Scaloni’s World Cup winners will be the massive favourites to come out on top here and continue their fine form. Indonesia and Argentina are no match on paper in terms of squad calibre and top-level experience, and the Argentine attack is expected to have plenty of joy in the final third. The gulf in quality is likely to be evident this Monday, with La Albiceleste set to run out comfortable winners.
