Australia among 5 potential opponents for Argentina’s November friendly in Kerala

Lionel Messi and his World Champions Argentina side are all set to play the November friendlies in Kerala. However, there has been no confirmation on the opponents yet.

A few days ago, popular Argentinian sports journalist Gaston Edul said the Argentine Football Association (AFA) was looking at an Asian side to play against, with Japan, South Korea or Saudi Arabia among the potential opponents.

However, the rumour mill has thrown in two more sides — Australia and Costa Rica. Ranked 25th in the World, Australia fall under the Asian Football Confederation, while Costa Rica is a representative of the CONCACAF, with a World Ranking of 47.

Kerala's Sports Minister V Abdurahiman had said in August that the 'Socceroos' had expressed interest in playing the friendlies scheduled to be played between November 10 and 18.

Argentina play Venezuela and Puerto Rico in friendlies in the October FIFA window. The AFA is expected to make an announcement about the November opponents soon.

The friendly in Kerala will be played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi, the home of Indian Super League side Kerala Blasters. The Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, initially considered for the event, was deemed unfit after an inspection, primarily due to the presence of hard cricket wickets.