David Nalbandian. Of course, the main hope of all of Argentina in the final. If this guy, who is more popular in his homeland than Leo Messi, doesn’t play, our chances of success will be ghostly. Nalbandian is our leader not only on the court, but also outside of him, and he really likes this role. Only when he feels capable of making partners does his game look matchless. David arrived in Moscow in good shape. I do not advise you to look at the balance of his meetings with rivals in the Davis Cup before David’s matches, because in this tournament he plays like hell. Well, of course, in a game with him you can’t think about victory until you get the last decisive point, because he never gives up. And he loves, recalling his ancestors, to say: "We, the Armenians, are a fighting people."
Juan Ignacio Chela. As we joke in Argentina, Chela came to Moscow personally to Davydenko. Of course, such an advantage in personal meetings over Nikolai - 5-0 - gives us great chances for a point in this confrontation, especially since Juan is now in good shape and generally smiles in our team more than anyone else. But I am pretty sure that regardless of the result of the first match, Chela will not play on Sunday, and Mancini will replace him at the last moment. The balance is balance, but to call this tennis player the strong link of our team is, of course, reckless. And against Safin, he has few chances.
Jose Acasuso. It is this guy who is likely to replace Chela on Sunday. Chucho has the best result in this Davis Cup of all Argentinean players - three wins in three matches. And the season turned out to be excellent - 27th place in the ATP rating and several impressive victories over tennis players from the top ten. In fact, it was planned that Jose would be able to replace Nalbandyan in the first day match, so that he would save more power for a couple and Sunday's meeting, but apparently, at the last moment something made Mancini change this decision. Apparently, Akasuso could not fully adapt to your coverage. He generally does not like to play indoors, he prefers outdoor courts, where, according to Jose himself, the sun and wind help him.
Agustin Caleri. You will definitely see this tennis player in only one doubles match, but with a probability of 99 percent: in seven meetings for the national team in a pair, Agustin lost only once. The most experienced player in our team is quite versatile and successfully acts on almost any court. We, like the Russians, understand that the result of a doubles meeting will be crucial, therefore there is a special hope for Caleri. And in Argentina, we are sure that he will not fail, because he is known for his very strong spirit and loves to play complex, almost chess combinations on the court. To beat Agustin, you must take a couple of lessons from Kasparov.
Guillermo Cañas. Guillermo came to Moscow as a reservist, because so far he is far from the best form that he lost during a long disqualification. His participation or non-participation in the match will directly depend on the results of the first gaming day. If Chela or Nalbandyan doesn’t play on this surface, Kanyas, who feels confident in the hall, may well appear on stage on Sunday. It will be unexpected and, quite possibly, will help us. On the other hand, I do not rule out the possibility that the cunning Mancini brought Kanyas to Moscow only to sow doubts and anxiety in the Russians about his possible access to the court.