Argentina will host Burkina Faso at the Estadio Mas Monumental on Saturday evening, with Lionel Scaloni’s side aiming for a 21st consecutive international friendly victory in what could be Lionel Messi’s penultimate appearance before his final farewell.
Messi has been given permission by Scaloni to play, although it remains unclear whether the Inter Miami captain will feature against Burkina Faso before Argentina face Benin next week. His potential final appearance would be his 208th cap.
Argentina returned to action after losing the 2026 World Cup final to Spain with a comfortable victory over Bolivia. Lautaro Martinez opened the scoring before Nico Paz and captain Cristian Romero added further goals before half-time, while Jose Manuel Lopez completed the 4-0 win late on.
The result extended Argentina’s unbeaten winning run in international friendlies, which began after a 2-2 draw with Uruguay in 2019. Wednesday’s success was their 20th consecutive victory in the format.
Burkina Faso are expected to provide a stronger test than Bolivia, who had lost four successive matches without scoring before their defeat by Argentina. The Etalons have made a positive start to their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, drawing with Benin before beating Central African Republic 1-0 in September.
Those results leave Burkina Faso second in Group F, behind Benin but currently in a qualifying position for next year’s tournament. Amir Abdou’s team are known for their aggressive approach without the ball, although it remains to be seen how effectively they can press in Buenos Aires.
Saturday’s match will be the first meeting between the countries. Burkina Faso have never qualified for a World Cup and have limited experience of facing football’s elite, particularly away from home.
Team news
Martinez was substituted with a possible injury against Bolivia, leaving the Inter Milan captain doubtful for the weekend and potentially opening the way for Lopez to partner Julian Alvarez in attack.
Paz is expected to retain his place after scoring and providing an assist in the win over Bolivia. Roman Vega, Valentin Gomez, Ezequiel Fernandez, Santiago Simon and Leonel Flores made their Argentina debuts in that match, while Matias Soule, Santiago Castro and Tomas Palacios could make their first appearances for the Seleccion.
Burkina Faso came through their two Nations Cup qualifiers without any fresh concerns, with Edmond Tapsoba recovering from the injury he suffered against Benin to play against Central African Republic.
Abdou is still monitoring Dango Ouattara, who missed both qualifiers because of illness. Should the Brentford winger, who has scored 12 goals, be unavailable, Burkina Faso may rely on Lassina Traore. The Shakhtar Donetsk forward has scored 14 goals in 33 caps.
Julien Bationo, Mamoutou Ouedraogo and Ismael Maiga could make their Burkina Faso debuts, following Aboubacar Camara’s decisive goal on his first appearance against Central African Republic.
Argentina’s predicted XI: E. Martinez; Giay, Romero, L. Martinez, Vega; Paz, Palacios, Equi, Prestianni; Alvarez, Lopez.
Burkina Faso’s predicted XI: Koffi; Kabore, Djiga, E. Tapsoba, Kouassi; A. Tapsoba, Doucet, Ouedraogo; Bouda, Traore, Zagre.
Argentina’s recent friendly form is V, V, V, V, V, V; their overall form is V, V, V, V, D, V. Burkina Faso’s friendly form is V, V, V, N, D, N, with their overall record standing at V, N, D, N, N, V.
The visitors’ defensive discipline and qualifying form should make them competitive, but Argentina’s attacking quality is expected to secure another comfortable victory.
