Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said Tuesday from Miami that the delegation is looking forward to traveling to Venezuela on Wednesday to play the ninth round of the qualifiers and, in addition to the setbacks caused by Hurricane Milton , he said he is confident that the absence of players will not affect the team’s level.
“We had asked to travel today , but they refused because of the hurricane and the trip would be on Wednesday,” he told reporters, leaving a shadow of doubt over the match scheduled for Thursday.
To reach the Venezuelan city of Maturín, the Albiceleste must fly to Colombia and from the border city of Cúcuta travel by land, since flights from Argentina and the United States are not authorized by the Venezuelan government.
“It would be almost impossible to leave on Thursday,” Scaloni said, in light of the possibility that the delegation might not be able to leave on Wednesday either.
“It’s not up to us. The most important thing is people’s health . You can’t isolate yourself from what’s happening outside, for the sake of everyone’s health, they protect themselves by leaving their homes. It’s something new, different for us, something we’re not used to. We’re on alert . It could be that it’s just something temporary,” he added.
The coach also referred to other changes that had to be introduced in preparation. “It’s a very difficult time for us in the squad. We had a lot of unforeseen events. Bringing in players from Europe is difficult now. We have to take advantage of the players who are in Argentine football,” he explained.