Argentina vs Algeria features a wealth of Serie A connections, headlined by Inter captain Lautaro Martínez, who starts alongside Lionel Messi and Thiago Almada in a formidable attacking trio for the Albiceleste.

Como’s Nico Paz, one of Serie A’s breakout stars this season with six goals and nine assists, is among the substitutes for their World Cup opener, while Juventus’s Nicolás González, who spent last season on loan Atletico Madrid, is also in the squad.

The Serie A history runs deep across the entire Albiceleste party, Cristian Romero was Serie A’s Best Defender at Atalanta, Rodrigo De Paul spent five seasons at Udinese, Nahuel Molina was De Paul’s Udinese teammate, and Leandro Paredes had extensive time at Roma across multiple spells.

Molina features on the bench while Romero stars alongside Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez in central defence.

Juventus linked Emiliano Martinez starts in goal.

For Algeria, former Roma midfielder Houssem Aouar starts on the bench, having made 16 Serie A appearances for the Giallorossi in 2023-24.

Relegated Hellas Verona’s Rafik Belghali, however, is in the starting eleven.

Argentina vs Algeria – World Cup Lineups

Argentina: E.Martinez; Montiel, Romero, L.Martinez, Medina; De Paul, Fernandez, Mac Allister; Messi, Lautaro, Almada.

Algeria: Zidane; Bensebaini, Mandi, Belghali, Ait-Nouri; Boudaoui, Chaibi, Bentaleb, Maza, Gouiri, Hadj Moussa.

Udinese have made Nicolo Zaniolo’s move from Galatasaray permanent, but the striker is ‘disappointed and frustrated’ amid an ongoing dispute over his salary, his agent has revealed.

Udinese have activated a clause to sign Zaniolo on a permanent transfer from Galatasaray after the striker’s one-season loan spell in 2025-26.

Udinese make Zaniolo’s move permanent

According to Fabrizio Romano, it’s a deal worth €5m with a 50% sell-on clause for Galatasaray.

Zaniolo, 26, scored seven goals and provided seven assists in 34 appearances across all competitions with Udinese, convincing the Bianconeri to retain him on a permanent transfer.

During an exclusive interview with Football Italia just a few weeks ago, Udinese director Gokhan Inler praised Zaniolo for his performances in the 2025-26 campaign, arguing that the Italian deserved a spot in the Azzurri squad for the World Cup qualifiers.

The Italian striker, however, is dissatisfied with recent negotiation discussions with Udinese and has expressed his concerns through his agent.

“We are certainly pleased with the impact Nicolò has had at Udinese, but it will now be necessary to reach an agreement regarding his salary for his stay at the club to truly rest on solid foundations,” Claudio Vigorelli told Italian media, including Gazzetta.

“The circumstances that brought Nicolò to Udinese last summer were shaped by a race against time in the final minutes of the [summer] transfer window. As a result, the contractual salary terms agreed for Nicolò in the event of a permanent transfer did not reflect his true value.

“Together with Udinese, we decided to sign and complete the deal based on the understanding that, before the purchase option was exercised, we would sit down and negotiate new terms.

“Today, Nicolò feels bitterly disappointed and frustrated by the circumstances that have led to this permanent transfer. Nevertheless, we remain open to discussion with Udinese in order to clarify our respective positions, in the hope of reaching an agreement that satisfies both parties.”

Udinese have until midnight tonight to exercise their purchase option for Nicolò Zaniolo from Galatasaray, and the club intend to do so, even though a full agreement on the player’s wages has not yet been reached.

According to Gianluca Di Marzio, the wage structure agreed at the time of the original loan deal was put together hastily, finalised only in the final hours of the January window, with both parties understanding that the financial terms would need to be revisited once the dust had settled.

Those conversations are ongoing, and Udinese are pushing to find a solution before the deadline.

Udinese to trigger Zaniolo option first and negotiate wages second in race against midnight deadline

The club’s approach is pragmatic, trigger the option to secure the player’s registration, then continue negotiating the contractual details in the days that follow.

It is an unusual sequence, but one dictated by the circumstances of the original rushed agreement.

For Zaniolo, the priority will be landing a salary that reflects his market value following an impressive season in Friuli.

For Udinese, the priority is simply making sure he remains their player beyond tonight.

Sweden face Tunisia in their World Cup Group F opener in Monterrey, Mexico, with the group already underway after Netherlands and Japan played out a 1-1 draw earlier in the day.

Sweden vs Tunisia is the final kick-off in a day that was packed full of games; with the competition in full swing now.

The match takes place in a spectacular arena, with mountain views in the background, setting the stage for a must-win game for both sides in a tricky group.

Atalanta defender Isak Hien starts in central defence for Sweden, while Udinese midfielder Jesper Karlstrom lines up in the middle of the park.

Tunisia, meanwhile, field no players with current Serie A connections in their starting eleven, but benched centre-back Dylan Bronn spent several years with Salernitana in Serie A and B, meaning there is, overall, only a modest amount of Calcio involvement this evening.

Sweden vs Tunisia – World Cup Lineups

Sweden: Nordfeldt; Lagerbielke, Lindelof, Hien, Bernhardsson, Gudmundsson, Nygren, Karlstrom, Ayari, Isak, Gyokeres
Tunisia: Chamakh, Abdi, Talbi, Rekik, Valery, Ben Hmida, Hannibal, Khedira, Skhiri, Slimane, Saad

Wednesday’s reports claim that Inter have the basis of an agreement on personal terms with centre-back Oumar Solet and that the Nerazzurri are close to matching the asking price set out by his current club, Udinese. 

Where Inter stand in Solet negotiations with Udinese

Inter are hoping to add to their defensive department after their domestic double in 2025-26, with senior squad members Francesco Acerbi and Matteo Darmian set to leave the club at the end of their contracts later this month. There have also been reports that Yann Bisseck could be sold in a profitable deal this summer as well. 

Udinese’s Solet has been a relatively long-term target for Inter, and Nerazzurri sporting director Piero Ausilio has recently confirmed that the Frenchman is among the options that the club are considering ahead of the summer transfer window. 

“We will definitely do something about (the defence), I can confirm that. We have to intervene, even if it’s just for numbers because Darmian and Acerbi’s contracts are expiring,” Ausilio said in a recent interview.  

“Solet is among those that we’re following, he’s done well in Italy. Like him, however, there are also others. We will get ourselves a good defender for the start of the season.”  

According to reports from various outlets on Thursday, including La Gazzetta dello Sport, Inter have the basis of an agreement on personal terms with Solet. There have been suggestions that the 26-year-old is prepared to sign a four-year contract worth around €2.5m per season in wages. 

Inter are also said to be close to matching Udinese’s asking price, which is understood to be set at €25m. La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Inter are ‘around €3m shy’ of satisfying Udinese’s demands.

The clubs remain in discussions over the potential formula of the deal, as there is a chance Solet moves on an initial loan deal with an option or obligation to buy at a later date. If this were to be the case, Solet would likely sign a new contract extension with Udinese first, given that he will be entering the final year of his deal this summer.

It has also been reported that Arthur Atta has come up in conversations between the two clubs, but La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that the Nerazzurri were simply requesting information and that nothing has progressed much further on that front at this stage.