No rest for Argentine squad

8 November 2011 15:58

Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella has dismissed rumours that he will field a weakened team against Bolivia in Friday's World Cup qualifier.

The Albiceleste take on the Andean nation at the Estadio Monumental in a game they are widely expected to win comfortably.

Just four days later, however, they face a punishing match in Barranquilla against Colombia, where temperatures could reach up to 35 degrees celsius in the afternoon.

Sabella said he was unconcerned about the effects of fatigue if his stars are called on to play two games in five days, and stated that there would be no changes in his two starting line-ups.

"We have done our homework, but in this case we are not thinking about using two teams," Alejandro told reporters in Monday evening's press conference.

"All the same, we will see how the players are."

Sabella added that former captain Javier Mascherano, who has proven himself an accomplished defender since moving to Barcelona, could move into midfield.

"It is a possibility, we have been watching Mascherano in Barcelona. He is intelligent, he reads the game well and he is always focused," he said.

Argentina started their qualifying campaign with a 4-1 win over Chile, before falling 1-0 to Venezuela.