Italy and Argentina will play for the pope on Wednesday in an international friendly.
The friendly was arranged by Italian Coach Cesare Prandelli in honor of Pope Francis, an Argentine.
"It was just a sudden flash, after watching Pope Francis and his first appearances in public," Prandelli said in an interview with sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Times Union reported. "He generated a tremendous sense of fondness and approval. The thought of 'his countries', Italy and Argentina, immediately entered my head. Two squads leaving together, from the same hotel, to have an audience full of joy and happiness with the pope."
Any time Argentina takes the field, Lionel Messi is also the center of the attention. However, this match could feature an Argentine side that does not include Messi in its starting XI. Messi is training with the team and should be expected to get a start in this game.
Argentina leads the CONMEBOL in World Cup qualifying and Italy leads its group in UEFA World Cup qualifiers as well.
According to Sports Mole, the starting lineups could look like this:
Italy: Buffon; Chiellini, Bonucci, Astori; Pirlo, De Rossi, Marchisio, Montolivo; El Shaarawy, Balotelli
Argentina: Romero; Zabaleta, Garay, Coloccini, Campagnaro; Mascherano, Lamela, Banega, Di Maria; Messi, Higuain
Prediction: Messi's presence in the squad will be a major factor. If he wins, the team could pull off a big win over Italy. If he is absent, Italy should have no trouble with Argentina.
Start Time: 2:45 p.m. EST
The match will be televised on Univision Deportes in the USA.
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