Ancelotti: “Who would have thought Argentina would struggle against Cape Verde?”

Carlo Ancelotti confirmed he has already decided who will replace Lucas Paqueta in Brazil's starting lineup for their World Cup 2026 Round of 16 clash against Norway. However, the *Seleção* coach opted not to reveal the chosen player's name, though he mentioned Danilo and Martinelli as potential options. He discussed this and other topics during the pre-match press conference ahead of tonight's encounter with the Scandinavians.

“We don't have players with Lucas Paqueta's qualities in the squad. We have to replace him with other footballers. Danilo is different from Gabriel, who is different from Cunha, who in turn is different from Ederson. We will consider what is best for the team, knowing the opponent's strengths,” Ancelotti began.

The main criterion for selection, according to Ancelotti, will be the player's ability to fulfill the defensive role on the left, as Paqueta did.

“Defensively, we need someone who can regroup on the left when the team doesn't have possession. Martinelli and Danilo can do that,” he clarified.

Offensively, the task will be to occupy the space between the midfield and the left attacking zone. In his analysis before the clash with Norway, one of the tournament's surprises, Ancelotti recalled Cape Verde's performance.

“Who would have thought Argentina would struggle against Cape Verde? No one. Modern football is like that. This isn't a failure for Argentina, but congratulations to Cape Verde, to their players and coach, for playing such a beautiful game,” he stated.

The five-time world champions' coach also delivered good news for the team. Raphinha, who recovered from injury, participated in the last two training sessions and could be an option for the bench against Norway.

“Raphinha is progressing very well, he's not at 100%, but he can be available on the bench and play a few minutes or be useful at certain moments. He recovered very well and very quickly, we are happy about that because Raphinha is very important for the team,” Ancelotti said.

The Italian specialist emphasized the importance of his team's experience in crucial matches, recalling the injury-time comeback against Japan with a goal from Martinelli.

“Experience is a very important aspect. Having an experienced team with players accustomed to this level is essential,” he stressed.

Ancelotti also valued the variety of options on the bench, reminding that players like Neymar were not used against the Japanese.

“This is very important because we have truly different players on the bench. We must always keep in mind that the match doesn't end in the 90th minute. There might be extra time, and fresh players can change the course of the game,” he said.

When asked about Norway, Ancelotti praised Odegaard, whom he coached and released from Real Madrid.

“We saw he was very talented at Real Madrid. He changed clubs, now he's an important player for Arsenal and shows his qualities. He has grown, he is very intelligent and understands the game perfectly,” he said.

Regarding the threat from Haaland, the coach dismissed the need for special man-marking.

“Everyone knows Haaland, I don't need to explain to my defenders how he plays. Gabriel Magalhães knows him better than I do because he has played against him many times. We are focused on preparing well for the match, including Haaland's characteristics, which we must consider, as he is a very, very dangerous striker,” Ancelotti concluded.