Leandro Paredes and Angel Di Maria start Argentina’s pre-World Cup friendly against the UAE, but Paulo Dybala and Nico Gonzalez are not even on the bench.
They are among the tournament favourites after winning the Copa America in 2021.
Inter strikers Lautaro Martinez and Joaquin Correa are on the bench, while Juventus pair Paredes and Di Maria start the test against the United Arab Emirates.
However, Roma forward Dybala and Fiorentina’s Nico Gonzalez are in the stands for this match.
They are joined there by Papu Gomez and Cuti Romero – both formerly of Atalanta – after dealing with injuries building up to the competition.
TyC Sports assure this doesn’t mean they are at risk of missing the World Cup in Qatar, but they are unlikely to be risked in the starting XI for the opening game against Saudi Arabia on November 22.
They are in the same group as Poland and Mexico.