Germán Pezzella out of Argentina team for World Cup after suffering a calf injury

Argentina defender Germán Pezzella not included in squad for showpiece event

Pezzella picked up a knock in Betis' win over Almería

Defender Germán Pezzella has been ruled out of Argentina's World Cup squad after suffering a calf injury. The 31-year-old picked up the knock in Real Betis' 3-1 win over Almería on Friday and will now miss the tournament in Qatar.

Pezzella is a regular for Argentina and has been capped 32 times by his country. He was part of the team that won the Copa América in 2021 and was expected to play a key role in Qatar.

However, his injury is a major blow for Argentina, who are already without a number of key players. Giovani Lo Celso and Nicolás González will miss the tournament with hamstring injuries, while Paulo Dybala is a doubt with a quadriceps problem.

Argentina are in Group C at the World Cup and will face Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland. They will be hoping to win the tournament for the first time since 1986.