- 1 Argentina vs Benin: Messi’s last night at the Monumental, and an attack that scored 11 in two games
- 2 Argentina: 16 wins in 17 and a farewell built around goals
- 3 Benin: a young match-winner, but five conceded against Togo in June
- 4 Free Football Prediction: Argentina vs Benin
- 5 About our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your responsibility
- 9 Responsible gambling
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About visuals
Argentina vs Benin: Messi’s last night at the Monumental, and an attack that scored 11 in two games 
Appearance number 208, and the last. Lionel Messi pulls on the Argentina shirt for the final time on Tuesday night, and Benin are the guests at his farewell.
Argentina host Benin on Tuesday 6 October at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. Kick-off is at 20:00 local time, which means 01:00 Paris time in the early hours of Wednesday 7 October.
The 85,000 tickets sold out in under two hours. Messi announced his international retirement on 31 August, and the federation invited him back for one last appearance in front of his own people.
He leaves as Argentina’s record scorer and most-capped player: 125 goals in 207 games, 21 of them in 34 World Cup matches. Seven of those came during the 2022 triumph in Qatar.
The context on the pitch is just as loud. Argentina reached the 2026 World Cup final before losing 1-0 to Spain, and they have won 16 of their last 17 matches.
Since that final, the Albiceleste have gone 4-0 against Bolivia and 7-0 against Burkina Faso. Eleven goals in two games, without Messi on the pitch for either.
Benin are ranked 87 places below their hosts and have never faced Argentina. They come to Buenos Aires as the supporting cast, and the script has only one possible ending.
Argentina: 16 wins in 17 and a farewell built around goals 
Lionel Scaloni’s side are not easing off for a party. Over their last five games they have scored 16 goals and conceded three, and the last two friendlies were pure demolitions.
Lautaro Martinez and Nicolas Paz scored in both September wins. Cristian Romero, Gianluca Prestianni, Julian Alvarez, Franco Mastantuono and Giuliano Simeone also found the net, which shows how wide the threat runs.
Messi arrives sharp, not sentimental. He has scored 12 goals in 13 Inter Miami appearances since the World Cup final, with a goal in each of his last four outings.
He will start, and Lautaro is the likely player to make way. A goal would also make Benin the 64th different nation Messi has scored against at international level.
Nicolas Otamendi is set for his own final cap, having rejoined the squad for this fixture after retiring in July. Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso could return to the starting eleven after sitting out the last two games.
Juan Foyth and Thiago Almada withdrew injured from the original squad, and Nicolas Tagliafico is a doubt after missing both September friendlies. None of that dents an attack this deep.
Argentina have also kept clean sheets in both post-World Cup friendlies. A back line marshalled by Romero and Otamendi will not give Benin much, and that leaves Argentina free to commit numbers forward all night.
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Benin: a young match-winner, but five conceded against Togo in June 
Gernot Rohr’s Benin come into Buenos Aires in decent shape. They opened 2027 AFCON qualifying with a 1-1 draw against Burkina Faso, then beat Mauritania 2-1 last Saturday.
Rodolfo Aloko scored both goals against Mauritania. The 19-year-old Charlotte FC forward should start on the left and is Benin’s most dangerous outlet.
That win was the first time Benin had scored more than once in a game since a 4-0 victory over Lesotho in September 2025. Goals at the other end of the pitch remain hard to come by.
Defensively, they have conceded no more than one goal in five of their last six games. The exception is the warning sign: a 5-1 hammering by Togo in their final June friendly.
Togo are no Argentina. If an opponent of that level put five past this back line, an Argentina side playing for its captain’s send-off can go further.
The squad is also thinner than planned. Right-back Abdoul Rachid Moumini could not travel for administrative reasons, Dokou Dodo returned to his club, and forward Said Ngobi was added late.
Probable lineup Argentina: E. Martinez; Giay, Otamendi, Romero, Medina; De Paul, Mac Allister, Lo Celso, Paz; Messi, Alvarez
Probable lineup Benin: Dandjinou; Azongnitode, Roche, Tijani, T. Ouorou; Hassane, D’Almeida; Aloko, Olaitan, Y. Ouorou; Tosin
Free Football Prediction: Argentina vs Benin
Our prediction: Over 4.5 goals (odds 1.80)
An Argentina win is priced far below any useful threshold, so the value sits in the goals line. The hosts have scored 11 in their last two friendlies, and Benin shipped five to Togo in June.
Everything about this night pushes Argentina forward. Messi wants a goal, the crowd wants a show, and a squad full of attackers will keep pressing long after the result is settled.
Benin can nick one through Aloko, which only helps this line. Five goals or more at the Monumental, at 1.80, is our call.
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