Lionel Scaloni has released Leonel Flores and Tomás Palacios to play for Boca Juniors and Estudiantes before they rejoin the Argentina national team. The head coach made the decision to allow the young duo to feature in key domestic matches for their clubs during the FIFA window.
Scaloni outlined the move. "Liberó a Leonel Flores y a Tomás Palacios para que puedan jugar con Boca y Estudiantes," the manager said. The official Argentina national team account on social media confirmed the update, stating that "los futbolistas Tomás Palacios y Leonel Flores serán liberados para afrontar los compromisos con sus clubes."
The release details
Leonel Flores, the 19-year-old Boca Juniors forward earning his first senior call-up, will be available for his club's Torneo Clausura match against Unión this Friday. Meanwhile, defender Tomás Palacios, on loan at Estudiantes, returns to his club for their Copa Argentina quarter-final against Platense this Thursday. After these fixtures, both players must return to the Ezeiza training complex.
This friendly window finds Argentina in a strong position. The team sits top of their World Cup qualifying group with 9 points from three wins, leading second-place Austria by five points. Their next match is a friendly against Bolivia on October 1st, an opponent they thrashed 6-0 in their last meeting in 2024.
Other confirmed absences
The squad list saw another change with the definitive withdrawal of Tobías Andrada. The River Plate midfielder, also receiving his first call-up, suffered a muscular injury in the match against Huracán and has been ruled out. Andrada will return to his club for recovery. He joins Thiago Almada and Juan Foyth as confirmed absences for this FIFA date.
The group training in Ezeiza includes new faces like goalkeeper Santiago Beltrán and midfielder Equi Fernández. La Albiceleste will look to continue their positive form, having won four of their last five matches, including a victory over England. To review the full squad and cycle statistics, visit our squad and stats sections.
The released players must report back to the national team camp after their club duties, in time for the first friendly of the window.
The original report is at Clarin Deportes
