The Argentine national team will start from scratch with new head coach Sergio Batista on Wednesday when they take on Ireland in Dublin. The Albicelestes will look to recover from their embarassing performance against Germany in the World Cup quarterfinals.
Although Batista is on a interim basis until the end of the year, he will be looking to take advantage of his opportunity to grab the reigns of this team as they prepare for the 2011 Copa America and the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.
Argentina will see the return of many star players that took part of the World Cup in Souh Africa. Much like Batista, many players on the roster for the match against Ireland will be looking to secure their spot on the team. Lionel Messi did not want to miss this chance to play despite having to fly across the world to join Argentina in Dublin. Atletico Madrid star Sergio Agüero returns as well as Carlos Tevez although the Manchester City striker may miss the match due to the flu. Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano will keep the captain's armband while Inter Milan hitman Diego Milito will get a chance to impress Batista. Despite a recent tour in the United States with Real Madrid, Gonzalo Higuain will also be present to try to wreak havoc among the Irish defence.
Batista, who led the team to an Olympic gold medal in China in 2008, will use a 4-1-4-1 formation or a 4-3-3. During a press conference on Tuesday, Batista said he does not want his team to depend solely on Messi and will try to build a team that will focus on patience and creativity when it has possession of the ball.
Argentina will not only have to face Robbie Keane and a tough opponent who is looking for revenge after being eliminated unfairly in a World Cup qualifier against France, but the Argies will also have to overcome a disappointing finish in the last World Cup and all the chaos left behind after the Diego Maradona-Julio Grondona breakup. Batista seems serious as he looks to implement his own long term project for the team, but his job security is also riding on thin ice because it is not clear if he will keep his job after December.
Argentina's probable lineup at Aviva Stadium on Wednesday: Sergio Romero; Nicolas Burdisso, Martin Demichelis, Walter Samuel, Gabriel Heinze; Javier Mascherano; Lionel Messi, Ever Banega, Fernando Gago, Angel Di Maria; Diego Milito or Gonzalo Higuain
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