Argentina vs Benin Predicted Lineups for Messi's Farewell

Lionel Messi will start his 208th and final Argentina appearance at the Estadio Monumental, with Lautaro Martínez expected to make way for the 39-year-old in an emotional farewell XI shaped by Lionel Scaloni.

Argentina Possible Starting XI

The one selection decision nobody doubts: Lionel Messi will start his farewell game. Lautaro Martínez is therefore likely to make way, with Julián Álvarez expected to partner Messi in attack in front of more than 80,000 fans at the Estadio Monumental. Based on the latest team news, the expected Argentina XI is:

• Goalkeeper: Emiliano Martínez
• Defence: Giay, Otamendi, Romero, Medina
• Midfield: De Paul, Mac Allister, Lo Celso, Paz
• Attack: Messi, Álvarez

The lineup blends the old guard with the new generation — Nico Paz and Facundo Medina among the young talents stepping into bigger roles, alongside the familiar faces who carried Argentina through its golden era.

De Paul and Lo Celso In Line to Return

Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso are both candidates to return to the starting lineup after being omitted from the last two friendlies. Lionel Scaloni deliberately rested the pair for the 4-0 win over Bolivia and the 7-0 victory against Burkina Faso, using those matches to assess other players in the squad.

Both midfielders were named in the squad solely for the Benin fixture, alongside Messi himself — a selection that underlines how this evening has been built around the farewell rather than experimentation. De Paul, Messi's long-time midfield bodyguard and one of his closest allies in the dressing room, starting this match feels entirely fitting for the occasion.

Otamendi's Own Farewell

Messi is not the only veteran saying goodbye. Nicolás Otamendi is also in line to make his final international appearance, having specifically linked up with the squad for Tuesday's fixture following his retirement announcement in July. The 38-year-old centre-back is expected to start alongside Cristian Romero at the heart of the defence.

Two farewells in one night will add another emotional layer to proceedings at the Monumental — one for the greatest player in Argentina's history, and one for a defender who was there for the battles of 2014, 2016 and ultimately the triumph of 2022.

Injury News: Foyth, Almada and Tagliafico

Scaloni's options have been trimmed by injury. Villarreal defender Juan Foyth and River Plate attacker Thiago Almada both withdrew from the initial squad due to injury, while left-back Nicolás Tagliafico remains a doubt after being forced to sit out the wins over Bolivia and Burkina Faso with an injury issue.

The absences help explain the expected shape of the side, with Facundo Medina in line to deputise at left-back and young Giay getting a start on the right. Franco Mastantuono, the teenage sensation, is another option Scaloni could turn to from the bench as Argentina begin to look toward life after Messi.

Benin Possible Starting XI

Benin, coached by former Nigeria boss Gernot Rohr and ranked 89th in the world — 87 places below second-ranked Argentina — arrive in Buenos Aires after a solid start to their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign: a 1-1 draw with Burkina Faso followed by a 2-1 home win over Mauritania, with Charlotte FC's Rodolfo Aloko netting a brace. The expected Benin lineup is:

• Goalkeeper: Djandjinou
• Defence: Azongnitode, Roche, Tijani, Ourou
• Midfield: Hassane, D'Almeida
• Attack: Aloko, Olaitan, Ourorou; Tosin

Rohr's squad has been disrupted by travel issues: right-back Abdoul Rachid Moumini was unable to travel to Argentina due to administrative problems, Dokou Dodo has returned to his club Arab Contractors after substitute appearances in the first two friendlies of the window, and forward Sahid Ngobi — with three international appearances — was recently added to the squad for the trip to Buenos Aires.

The Context: Messi's 208th Cap

When Messi leads the team out, it will be his 208th senior appearance for Argentina — the final one of a 21-year international career that began against Hungary in 2005. He leaves as the country's record goalscorer and all-time appearance holder with 125 goals in 207 matches, including 21 goals in 34 World Cup games.

The 39-year-old arrives in red-hot club form, having netted 12 goals in 13 appearances for Inter Miami since the World Cup final, including a goal in each of his last four outings. It will be his 29th appearance at the Estadio Monumental in an Argentina shirt — the ground where so much of his international story was written, from the early jeers to the thunderous ovations of the Scaloni era.

Benin know what awaits them. They have conceded no more than one goal in five of their last six games, but as one preview put it, they will recognise it will be immensely difficult to prevent Argentina from scoring multiple goals on Messi's farewell night. Sports Mole's prediction is a 4-0 Argentina victory — the same scoreline most bookmakers' models are converging on.

There will also be one eye on the record books: Messi has scored against 44 different national teams, according to NBC Sports, and Benin is not yet on that list. A goal on his farewell night would add one more line to an international scoring record that already looks untouchable.

A Night Beyond Tactics

For all the talk of formations and lineups, tonight is about something bigger. Members of Argentina's 2022 World Cup-winning squad have been invited back with their families. The AFA has branded the occasion "El Último Tango". Tickets reportedly sold out in less than two hours.

The probable lineups tell the story of a team in transition: the old guard — Messi, Otamendi, De Paul, Lo Celso — taking one final bow together, flanked by the next generation in Paz, Medina, Mastantuono and Álvarez. Argentina vs Benin is the first-ever meeting between the two nations, and it will be remembered not for the scoreline but for the goodbye.

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