Argentina will continue their build up under new coach Gerardo Martino when they face Croatia in an international friendly showdown on Wednesday at Boleyn Ground in Upton Park, East London.
Argentina, who finished second to Germany in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, will welcome a familiar face in the friendly as Juventus star Carlos Tevez makes his return to the national team.
Tevez, who has not played for Argentina since 2011 after former coach Alejandro Sabella decided to drop him from the lineup, has been on target for Juventus recently, which was the main reason why Martino opted to call him out again.
The 30-year-old has already netted eight goals for Juventus in the Italian Serie A, including two in their game against Parma on Sunday. Talking about the return of the forward, Martino said that the friendly match will be a great chance for Tevez to redeem himself.
"It is a great chance for Carlos to make the most of this opportunity but also for me as a coach to be with him. He's back," Martino said via The Telegraph. "I need to see him in training but I want to give as many minutes to as many players as possible. I followed what happened in the months leading up to the World Cup with Tevez."
It is unclear, though, how big Tevez's role will be in his international comeback since the Argentine squad also features Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain, who are worthy of a starting XI spot. Martino said, though, that Messi will play on the right win against Croatia.
"We have decided that Messi has to play on the right wing otherwise we would have, given how they play in their teams, almost a fourth No. 9," Martino said via ESPN FC. "I also know Higuain doesn't play in the same way as Aguero does, or Tevez does. But at the end of the day in a system like ours, not everybody has to be a No. 9 nor have the qualities to move to the wing."
Croatia and Argentina have faced each other three times before with each team taking one win and the other one ended in a draw. The Argentina-Croatia match will start at 2:45 PM EST and will be shown live via online live streaming on this link.
Prediction: Argentina will be heavy favorite heading into the match and they are expected to show why. Although they are expected to make adjustment to welcome Tevez back, the Argentine side is poised to take a 2-0 win.
