18 goal top scorer likely to be on the bench on Saturday

39 years old. 18 World Cup goals. Just knocked Klose off the all-time scoring list.

Then Scaloni tells you that for this Saturday's early morning game in Dallas, Messi will likely be on the bench.

Four days ago against Austria, he scored a brace, bringing his goal tally in this tournament to five. Every single goal Argentina has scored in the group stage so far is his. A 2-0 win secured top spot in Group J and a ticket to the Round of 32. Four days ago, he was the hero on the pitch; four days later, he'll likely be wearing a substitute's bib, watching the younger players run around.

Scaloni was diplomatic in the press conference, hinting at rotation without confirming it. Not gambling on a 39-year-old's body is a calculated decision. The first knockout round is in Miami. Romero is out with a knee injury. Medina and Paredes each have a yellow card; one more and they're suspended. Dibu Martinez also needs a rest, leaving the goal to the backup. With top spot secured, there's no need to wear down the squad's key assets against Jordan.

Rotating in the final group match protects the core players' legs and gives fringe players a chance to change their fate.

Seven players are waiting for their first World Cup minutes. Musso and Rulli are competing for the starting goalkeeper spot. Senesi gets a direct promotion due to Romero's injury. Tagliafico is on standby at left-back. Up front, Julian Alvarez leads the charge with Giuliano Simeone and Nico Paz. The most notable name is Lo Celso. He watched the 2022 Qatar World Cup on TV back home due to injury. Now, Scaloni has finally remembered to give him a cameo appearance in garbage time.

Giuliano Simeone is the son of 'El Cholo' Simeone. Nico Paz's father is also a former international. The second generation is reporting for duty, using their fathers' surnames to pad their World Cup resumes. Against Algeria, Medina, Nicolas Gonzalez, and Nico Paz already made their debuts. Adding the seven expected to play in this match, Scaloni has turned the final group game into a testing ground for substitutes and rookies. The starters rest; the fringe players fight. For these guys, these 90 minutes might be their only KPI for the entire World Cup.

On the other side of the field in Dallas, Jordan is doing the math. After losing their first match 1-2 to Algeria, their chances of advancing are only theoretical. Their minds are set on how to scrape their first-ever point from the defending champions. The euphoria of beating Saudi Arabia 3-0 away on June 5, 2025, to qualify for the finals has long since cooled in the Dallas air conditioning. Facing Argentina, this is likely their World Cup farewell.

The odds reflect the gap bluntly: Argentina win at 1/5, around 1.20. The market has already sentenced Jordan to a stay of execution. To get a point, they'd need Argentina's all-substitute lineup to be rusty and their own goalkeeper to have a superhuman performance, saving a penalty.

As for whether Messi will watch in his training kit or come on in the 60th minute to add another goal, Scaloni didn't give a definitive answer. Either way, the 1.20 win odds have already calculated Jordan's elimination timeline.