Buenos Aires was preparing for another Argentina home farewell under the Monumental lights, but the identity of Saturday night’s visitors remained uncertain only hours before kick-off. Burkina Faso, scheduled to face the World Cup runners-up at 21:00 local time, were still stranded in Casablanca, leaving Benin on standby as a possible replacement.
A match waiting on a flight
- Burkina Faso had originally been due to leave on 30 September, but the charter company cancelled the planned flight without warning.
- The replacement route involved a long journey with stopovers, an itinerary rejected by the players, creating a dispute and further delaying the trip.
- With no immediate travel solution in place, the Burkina Faso delegation remained in Morocco during the early hours of Saturday.
- A new charter operated by Portuguese airline Hi Fly was then arranged, with an expected arrival in Buenos Aires at 13:15 local time.
- That schedule would put Burkina Faso on the ground less than eight hours before the 21:00 start at River Plate’s Monumental Stadium.
The fixture was therefore still expected to go ahead against Burkina Faso, but only if the team arrived in time. Should the visitors fail to make it, Benin were ready to take their place. Benin are already in Buenos Aires and had initially been designated as Argentina’s opponents for Tuesday’s planned farewell match for Lionel Messi.
Several regular Burkina Faso players were not expected to travel even if the flight departed, with younger footballers set to fill the gaps in the squad.
Argentina’s home-friendly pattern
The uncertainty has again highlighted Argentina’s recent choice of lower-ranked opponents for home internationals. Four of their last five friendlies on Argentine soil have been arranged against Mauritania, Zambia, Burkina Faso and Benin.
Those matches have allowed the visiting federations to have their travel and other expenses covered without receiving a fixed appearance fee, while Argentina’s federation seeks to maximise the commercial return from staging games at home.
Scaloni’s possible selection
With the opposition and their final travelling party unresolved, Lionel Scaloni’s line-up was a secondary issue. If the match is played, Argentina could start with Emiliano Martínez in goal; Agustín Giay, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martínez and Facundo Medina in defence; Giuliano Simeone or Franco Mastantuono, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández or Exequiel Palacios, and Nico Pazi in midfield; with Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez leading the attack.
For now, the immediate question in Buenos Aires is simpler: whether Burkina Faso can reach the city in time to fulfil a fixture that was meant to be settled long before the stadium gates opened.
