Enzo Fernandez ready to defend World Cup trophy in Messi's last dance

Enzo Fernandez has boldly declared that Argentina will successfully defend their World Cup title this summer, despite a challenging and disrupted build-up to the tournament.

The midfielder found the net to open the scoring in Argentina's 2-1 friendly victory over Mauritania in Buenos Aires on Friday.

The match itself was a replacement fixture after the highly anticipated Finalissima against Spain in Qatar was cancelled due to ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The international break was further marred by bad news for the squad. Strasbourg's Joaquín Panichelli, the top scorer in Ligue 1, suffered a torn ACL, ruling him out of the summer finals. A replacement for the striker has not yet been named.

Despite these setbacks, Fernandez remains optimistic about his team's prospects, insisting they are in a strong position to replicate their triumph from Qatar 2022.

When asked by ESPN Argentina about the team's chances, he was unequivocal.

"Very well. We’re going to defend the title, obviously," Fernandez stated.

"We know these matches are preparations, and we’ll give our best to arrive in top form."

Fernandez admitted that Argentina's performance against Mauritania was not their finest, attributing the struggle to the poor condition of the pitch.

"I have somewhat strange feelings about the match," he explained.

"The pitch wasn't in good condition, and we weren't able to show much of our style of play. It's useful for what's to come, being with the group and refreshing the coach's ideas."

Argentina's next match is a home friendly against Zambia in Buenos Aires, scheduled for the early hours of Wednesday morning for viewers in the UK.