Lionel Messi will begin his final tilt at World Cup glory when Argentina take on Saudi Arabia in Group C.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner looks like he might have a set of teammates finally worthy of his talents, with the Albiceleste resurgent under Lionel Scaloni.
Argentina beat Brazil 1-0 thanks to an Angel Di Maria goal to end a 28-year wait for a major trophy in last year's Copa America.
They head into the game on a 36-match unbeaten run, meaning Saudi Arabia — ranked 51st in the world and under well-travelled coach Herve Renard — are likely to have their work cut out.
Below are the lineups for both teams.
MORE: When is Argentina vs Saudi Arabia at FIFA World Cup? Updated TV schedule, time, odds
Argentina vs Saudi Arabia lineups
Lionel Messi insists he is in "good condition" ahead of Argentina's World Cup opener after the Paris Saint-Germain forward prompted fears by sitting out parts of his team's training sessions.
"I think I come here in really good form both personally and physically. I have no issues whatsoever," he told a pre-match news conference.
"I heard there were rumours about having to miss part of the training, or training apart from the team because of a blow. No, it was just precautions — nothing strange or out of the ordinary."
Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni has explained the strains placed upon his squad by a mid-season World Cup.
"We've had to work very well in our training sessions so they all reach these finals in the best form possible. The issue is not that the World Cup is played in November, it's that October was terrible," he said.
"For those players who play in the major leagues, it was a very tough month."
Below are the starting lineups for both teams for their match at Lusail Stadium on Tuesday, November 22.
Argentina starting 11
(4-2-3-1, right to left): 23. E. Martinez (GK) — 26. Molina, 13. Romero, 19. Otamendi, 3. Tagliafico — 7. De Paul, 5. Paredes, — 11. Di Maria 10. Messi, 17. Gomez — 22. Martinez
- Injured: Acuna (knock)
- Suspended: none
Defender Cristian Romero (muscular) did not play in his nation's 5-0 warmup win against the United Arab Emirates but will start.
Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez was thought likely to accompany Nicolas Otamendi if Romero was not fit but is on the bench, while Nicolas Tagliafico stands in for Marcos Acuna at left-back.
Rodrigo De Paul and Leandro Paredes start in midfield after Giovani Lo Celso's injury absence amounted to Scaloni's major pre-tournament headache. Benfica's highly rated former River Plate youngster Enzo Fernandez is on the bench.
Saudi Arabia starting 11
(4-5-1, right to left): 21. Al-Owais (GK) — 12. Abdulhamid, 17. Tambakti, 5. Al-Boleahi, 13. Al-Shahrani — 9. Al-Buraikan 23. Kanno, 8. Al-Malki, 7. Al-Faraj, 10. Al-Dawsari — 11. Al-Shehri
- Injured: none
- Suspended: none
Saudi Arabia's Saleh Al-Shehri returned from an Achilles tear in October. The centre-forward for Saudi Pro League team Al-Hilal has been declared fully fit for the game.
Winger Fahad al-Muwallad will not be involved, having been dropped from the squad as a 'precaution' due to failing a doping test back in February.
Argentina vs Saudi Arabia World Cup squads
Here are the 26 names on each team's squad lists at the World Cup in Qatar:
Argentina
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Franco Armani | River Plate (ARG) | 36 | 18 |
| Goalkeeper | Emiliano Martinez | Aston Villa (ENG) | 30 | 19 |
| Goalkeeper | Geronimo Rulli | Villarreal (SPA) | 30 | 4 |
| Defender | Marcos Acuna | Sevilla (SPA) | 30 | 43 |
| Defender | Juan Foyth | Villarreal (SPA) | 24 | 16 |
| Defender | Lisandro Martinez | Man United (ENG) | 24 | 10 |
| Defender | Nahuel Molina | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 24 | 19 |
| Defender | Gonzalo Montiel | Sevilla (SPA) | 25 | 19 |
| Defender | Nicolas Otamendi | Benfica (POR) | 34 | 93 |
| Defender | German Pezzella | Real Betis (SPA) | 31 | 32 |
| Defender | Cristian Romero | Tottenham (ENG) | 24 | 12 |
| Defender | Nicolas Tagliafico | Lyon (FRA) | 30 | 42 |
| Midfielder | Rodrigo De Paul | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 28 | 44 |
| Midfielder | Enzo Fernandez | Benfica (POR) | 21 | 3 |
| Midfielder | Alejandro 'Papu' Gomez | Sevilla (SPA) | 34 | 15 |
| Midfielder | Alexis Mac Allister | Brighton (ENG) | 23 | 8 |
| Midfielder | Exequiel Palacios | Bayer Leverkusen (GER) | 24 | 20 |
| Midfielder | Leandro Paredes | Juventus (ITA) | 28 | 46 |
| Midfielder | Guido Rodriguez | Real Betis (SPA) | 28 | 26 |
| Forward | Julian Alvarez | Man City (ENG) | 22 | 12 |
| Forward | Thiago Almada** | Atlanta United (USA) | 21 | 1 |
| Forward | Angel Di Maria | Juventus (ITA) | 34 | 124 |
| Forward | Paulo Dybala | AS Roma (ITA) | 28 | 34 |
| Forward | Angel Correa* | Atletico Madrid | 25 | 22 |
| Forward | Lautaro Martinez | Inter Milan (ITA) | 25 | 40 |
| Forward | Lionel Messi | PSG (FRA) | 35 | 165 |
*Replaced the injured Nicolas Gonzalez
**Replaced the injured Joaquin Correa
Saudi Arabia
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Mohamed Al-Owais | Al Hilal (KSA) | 31 | 33 |
| Goalkeeper | Nawaf Al-Aqidi | Al Nassr (KSA) | 22 | 0 |
| Goalkeeper | Mohammed Al-Yami | Al Ahli (KSA) | 25 | 7 |
| Defender | Yasser Al-Shahrani | Al Hilal (KSA) | 30 | 61 |
| Defender | Ali Al-Boleahi | Al Hilal (KSA) | 32 | 28 |
| Defender | Abdulelah Al-Amri | Al Nassr (KSA) | 25 | 13 |
| Defender | Abdullah Madu | Al Nassr (KSA) | 29 | 12 |
| Defender | Hassan Tambakti | Al Shabab (KSA) | 23 | 11 |
| Defender | Sultan Al-Ghannam | Al Nassr (KSA) | 28 | 17 |
| Defender | Mohammed Al-Burayk | Al Hilal (KSA) | 30 | 28 |
| Defender | Saud Abdulhamid | Al Hilal (KSA) | 23 | 14 |
| Midfielder | Salman Al-Faraj | Al Hilal (KSA) | 33 | 56 |
| Midfielder | Riyadh Sharahili | Abha (KSA) | 29 | 2 |
| Midfielder | Ali Al-Hassan | Al Nassr (KSA) | 25 | 9 |
| Midfielder | Mohamed Kanno | Al Hilal (KSA) | 28 | 25 |
| Midfielder | Abdulelah Al-Malki | Al Hilal (KSA) | 28 | 16 |
| Midfielder | Sami Al-Najei | Al Nassr (KSA) | 25 | 14 |
| Midfielder | Abdullah Otayf | Al Hilal (KSA) | 30 | 37 |
| Midfielder | Nasser Al-Dawsari | Al Hilal (KSA) | 23 | 8 |
| Midfielder | Abdulrahman Al-Obood | Al Ittihad (KSA) | 27 | 1 |
| Midfielder | Salem Al-Dawsari | Al Hilal (KSA) | 31 | 53 |
| Midfielder | Hattan Bahebri | Al Shabab (KSA) | 30 | 30 |
| Forward | Fahad Al-Muwallad | Al Shabab (KSA) | 28 | 62 |
| Forward | Haitham Asiri | Al Ahli (KSA) | 21 | 4 |
| Forward | Saleh Al-Shehri | Al Hilal (KSA) | 29 | 10 |
| Forward | Firas Al-Buraikan | Al Fateh (KSA) | 22 | 20 |
READ: MESSI & RONALDO: DESTINATION MUNDIAL | THE FULL SERIES
