Lionel Scaloni said Argentina will wait until the last possible moment to name its team for the final against Spain, after admitting that some players did not reach 100% fitness before the match. The coach said the side still needs its best version, but that the lineup is not settled yet.
That uncertainty matters now because Argentina is in the final stretch of preparation and every change carries extra weight in a one-match title game. Scaloni said the team has prepared in its usual way, yet he will not close the door on late adjustments if the last evaluations demand them.
Scaloni also made clear that the countdown has not been ideal. He said Argentina arrived at 11 at night and had to shorten training to get to the press conference, then added that Spain worries him in every area. Even the bus leaving the hotel, he said, is enough to put him on alert.
The coach's concern is not just about the opponent's strength. He said some players on the right side were being rotated to spread minutes, which helps explain why the team sheet remains open so close to kickoff. That is the friction inside the message: Argentina wants stability, but the condition of a few players is still shaping the final call.
Scaloni also underlined the human side of the buildup. He said he and Luis de la Fuente are friends, called Lionel Messi pure history and a legend, and said the team had recovered something valuable by making people stop in front of the television to watch Argentina. It is a reminder that this final is being treated not only as a tactical test but as a chance to defend what the side has built.
For Dibu Martínez, the run-up has been even more physical. He said his finger still hurts every day, that he avoided surgery after speaking with hand specialists, and that he did not train with the group in the first phase. He also said he has felt better since the knockout rounds, though the pain has not gone away.
Martínez said he sometimes cries alone thinking about what has been achieved, a sign of how much the tournament has taken out of him and the squad. He also described Spain as a great selection and noted that Pau Torres always watches that league, another detail that reinforces how closely the final has been studied from both sides.
The decision now sits with Scaloni, who has said enough to show the problem and not enough to settle it. Argentina will go into the final knowing the coach intends to wait until the last moment, and that the starting eleven may still depend on which bodies are ready when the hour comes.
