More than 10,000 fans attended Athletic Bilbao’s San Mamés stadium this Saturday, attracted by the star Lionel Messi and the rest of the figures of the Argentine national team, which is preparing with a view to the Finalissima against Italy, which will be played next Wednesday at Wembley.
The fans, many of them Argentinians residing in Spain, came from the neighboring cities of the Basque Country and paid between 12 and 10 euros to see the work of the “albicelestes” soccer players, which consisted of exercises with the ball and a tactic arranged by the coach Lionel Scalloni.
Messi, captain of the team, was the center of attention of all the attendees, who accompanied each one of his movements with exclamations of admiration. At the time of definition tasks, goal cries followed each time a footballer managed to overcome the resistance of the goalkeepers. The players were very comfortable in this relaxed atmosphere and approached the foot of one of the stalls to sign shirts, balls and take photos.
The Argentine squad, which worked completely after the arrival of the River footballers Franco Armani and Julián Álvarez, will travel to London next Monday and after the game will return to Bilbao, the city chosen as the venue for this FIFA date.
The Finalissima, an official match between the European and American champions, will be played on Wednesday at 3:45 p.m. at the mythical Wembley Stadium, broadcast by ESPN and Star+.
If there are no last-minute inconveniences, DT Lionel Scaloni plans to have the best team at his head, only with the absence of Leandro Paredes, still recovering after having undergone surgery. Consequently, the formation will be with Emiliano Martínez; Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Nicolás Otamendi and Marcos Acuña; Rodrigo De Paul, Guido Rodríguez and Giovani Lo Celso; Messi, Lautaro Martinez and Angel Di Maria.
After the commitment with Italy, Argentina will face a second friendly against Estonia, on Sunday, June 5 in Spain, with a venue yet to be confirmed. In principle, it was planned to be the Arena Reale de San Sebastián, owned by the Real Sociedad club, but it was finally ruled out due to works that were previously scheduled. Thus, a likely setting for the friendly with the Estonians is the pitch of the Alavés club, located in the city of Vitoria, 60 kilometers south of Bilbao.
