Four dropped from Argentina football world cup squad

Buenos Aires, May 22 (IANS) Argentina's national football team coach, Alejandro Sabella, dropped four players from his 2014 FIFA football World Cup line up including Lisandro Lopez, Fabian Rinaudo, Franco Di Santo and Gabriel Mercado, Xinhua reported.

Sabella needs to pare down his provisional 30-man squad to a requisite 23-man team by June 2, 10 days before the tournament kicks off.

The four players who didn't make the cut, Mercado (River Plate/ Argentina), Lopez (Getafe/Spain), Rinaudo (Catania/Italy) and Di Santo (Werder Bremen/Germany), will be sent home before the team begins training next week at an Argentine Football Association facility in Ezeiza, on the outskirts of the capital Buenos Aires.

The provisional squad includes:

Goalkeepers: Sergio Romero (Monaco/France), Mariano Andujar ( Catania/Italy), Agustin Orion (Boca Juniors/Argentina);

Defenders: Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City/England), Hugo Campagnaro (Inter/Italy), Ezequiel Garay (Benfica/Portugal), Federico Fernandez (Napoli/Italy), Nicolas Otamendi (Atletico Mineiro/Brazil), Martin Demichelis (Manchester City/England), Marcos Rojo (Sporting Lisboa/Portugal), Jose Maria Basanta ( Monterrey/Mexico);

Midfielders: Maximiliano Rodriguez (Newell's/Argentina), Augusto Fernandez (Celta de Vigo/Spain), Enzo Perez (Benfica/ Portugal), Fernando Gago (Boca Juniors/Argentina), Lucas Biglia ( Lazio/Italy), Javier Mascherano (Barcelona/Spain), Ever Banega ( Newell's/Argentina), Angel Di Maria (Real Madrid/Spain), Ricardo Alvarez (Inter/Italy), Jose Sosa (Atletico Madrid/Spain);

Forwards: Sergio Aguero (Manchester City/England), Lionel Messi (Barcelona/Spain), Gonzalo Higuain (Napoli/Italy), Ezequiel Lavezzi (Paris Saint Germain/France), Rodrigo Palac Io (Inter/ Italy).