Skip to content

Bauza continues to overlook Icardi as Argentina restarts qualifying

Reuters / Alessandro Garofalo

There is no end in sight to Mauro Icardi's international exile.

Despite a recent scouting trip across Europe, including a meeting with the Inter striker at the club's training ground last month, Argentina manager Edgardo Bauza elected to omit the 24-year-old from his squad for his country's World Cup qualifiers.

Regular household names feature in Bauza's 26-man list, including Barcelona's Lionel Messi, Juventus duo Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala, and Manchester City's Sergio Aguero.

Icardi's continued exclusion from the national team is partly down to a glut of talent in the attacking positions, even though he has accounted for 58 percent of Inter's Serie A goals this season, once again underlining his importance to the Nerazzurri.

Coincidentally, club teammate Ever Banega did receive a call-up.

Argentina hosts Chile on March 23 in a match that pits the fourth-place La Roja against the fifth-place Albiceleste. Argentina then travels to the high altitude of La Paz to play Bolivia five days later.

Only the top four teams qualify directly for the quadrennial tournament, with the fifth-place side facing the winner of Oceania in a playoff.

Goalkeepers: Mariano Andujar (Estudiantes), Nahuel Guzman (Tigres), Sergio Romero (Manchester United)

Defenders: Gabriel Mercado (Sevilla), Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City), Julio Buffarini (Sao Paolo), Facundo Roncaglia (Celta Vigo), Emmanuel Mas (Trabzonspor), Marcos Rojo (Manchester United), Nicolas Otamendi (Manchester City), Mateo Musacchio (Villarreal), Ramiro Funes Mori (Everton)

Midfielders: Javier Mascherano (Barcelona), Lucas Biglia (Lazio), Guido Pizarro (Tigres), Ever Banega (Inter), Enzo Perez (Valencia), Angel Di Maria (Paris Saint-Germain)

Forwards: Angel Correa (Atletico Madrid), Marcos Acuna (Racing), Ezequiel Lavezzi (Hebei Fortune), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Paulo Dybala (Juventus), Sergio Aguero (Manchester City), Gonzalo Higuain (Juventus), Lucas Pratto (Sao Paulo)

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox