Argentina opens its World Cup qualifying campaign on Thursday, hosting Ecuador at the Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti in Buenos Aires. The contest -- scheduled for 8 p.m. ET and live streamed on beIN Sports -- will not feature a prominent name on the pitch.
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Head coach Gerardo Martino unveiled his starting XI. Sergio Romero, Emanuel Mas, Ezequiel Garay, Nicolás Otamendi, Pablo Zabaleta, Javier Pastore, Javier Mascherano, Lucas Biglia, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Sergio Aguero and Angel Di Maria will all start Thursday evening.
Lionel Messi will not.
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The Argentine is still recovering from a torn ligament that will keep him from World Cup qualifiers until 2016. He’s also amid a very different kind of battle in the courts.
Messi -- along with his father Jorge -- are to stand trial over an alleged £3.1 million tax fraud, per The Sun. If found guilty, the four-time Ballon d’Or winner faces 22 months in jail.
The sentence would keep him from participating in any World Cup qualifier, making Argentina’s opening CONMEBOL qualifier a crucial one.
There will eventually be life after Messi. Argentina needs to learn if it could still be a fruitful one on Thursday.
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