Leandro Paredes is given only his second start in this World Cup for Argentina against Croatia, but the Juventus midfielder has had more controversy and negatives than positives this season.

The semi-final kicks off in Qatar at 19.00 GMT.

With Gonzalo Montiel and Marcos Acuna suspended, and Angel Di Maria not fit enough to start, Argentina have moved to a 4-4-2 formation with Paredes bolstering the midfield.

It is only his second start of the tournament after the opening defeat to Saudi Arabia.

Paredes has had a difficult campaign, on loan from Paris Saint-Germain with option to buy, which Juventus seem increasingly unlikely to activate for €22.6m plus bonuses.

If they do not buy him outright, Juve must still pay €2.5m to PSG.

He made just 13 appearances for the Bianconeri between Serie A and the Champions League.

Paredes had three games for Argentina at this World Cup, and arguably should be suspended for this semi-final, as he was booked in the quarter-final against the Netherlands and then sparked a brawl by kicking the ball into the Dutch bench.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Tickets Kit Collector