Signing you in

Speaking at an event on Friday ahead of the summit clash against Spain at MetLife Stadium, Scaloni slammed the rushed training session earlier that day, which came before mandatory media commitments.

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Scaloni’s champion squad were rushed to a training session at 3:30 pm in the blazing seasonal heat in the United States. The 48-year-old boss had previously slammed the gruelling schedule during the knockout rounds, citing limited recovery time between matches.

“As you get closer to the end, with more matches played, you need more rest, yet the opposite is happening,” Scaloni had said before Argentina’s Round of 16 match against Egypt earlier this month.

“We played in Miami the other day in that heat and now we’re playing tomorrow at noon. The rest period isn’t ideal.

“I think Egypt has had a few more hours (to recover), not a huge difference, but I believe that as the World Cup reaches its final stages, rest becomes even more crucial.”

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On Friday, Scaloni stressed again that his contingent will prioritise rest and recovery ahead of their fifth match in 15 days.

“We are focused on rest and based on that we will see how they arrive, because there are players who are not at 100 percent and we will evaluate how they are ,” the coach acknowledged. “We play thinking about ourselves, but seeing the good things that the opponent has.”

Argentina are on the brink of history, aiming to become the first team to defend the title in 64 years since Brazil in 1962.