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The Argentine national team is currently together for the upcoming matches in the World Cup qualifiers. Despite their safe second place in the table, the next game is fuelled by a long-time rivalry with Chile.

Now it turns out that when speaking to the local media today, manager Lionel Scaloni revealed they won’t be able to count on their full squad, as both he and a couple of players will be out due to Covid-19.

The footballers are Brighton & Hove Albion’s Alexis Mac Allister, who tested positive, and Aston Villa’s Emiliano Buendia, who ended up being a close contact.

“Last night, at the last minute, we had Alexis Mac Allister’s positive and therefore he will not be able to be part of the delegation. Emiliano Buendía is a close contact and he will not be able to travel to Chile either, both will be isolated,” said the manager (via Olé).

Mac Allister and Buendia now obviously have to wait until they get a negative test, although it’s now unlikely that they’ll be able to play Colombia on Tuesday.

For now, it remains to be seen if their issue will affect their return to England, as Brighton face Tottenham Hotspur on the 5th of February in the FA Cup. Aston Villa, who are knocked out of the competition, only play four days later.