The hundred and fifty-eighth episode of Hand Of Pod sees Sam and English Dan discuss Gerardo Martino’s first real Argentina squad, after he was obliged to name an AFA-imposed one for the friendly against Germany earlier this month. We discuss why Carlos Tevez wasn’t included, and what the inclusions of Erik Lamela and Javier Pastore tell us about where Martino is going with his side. The AFA are talking about reverting the format of the league back to a 20-team top flight from 2016, and we have a weekend of action to look back on including yet another River Plate victory – this time a 4-1 thrashing of third-placed Independiente (which explains why Peter was mysteriously unavailable this week).
As ever, Mystic Sam’s previews for this weekend’s matches are below. You can subscribe to us on iTunes or Stitcher, and follow us on Twitter.
Mystic Sam’s ninth round predictions
Estudiantes v Vélez
Independiente v Central
San Lorenzo v Gimnasia
Atlético de Rafaela v Olimpo
Boca v Quilmes
Tigre v Defensa y Justicia
Belgrano v Racing
Lanús v River
Newell’s v Banfeld
Arsenal v Godoy Cruz
Hand Of Pod 
Hi Lads. Love the podcast. Spreading the word here in Ireland. Could you tell me what the typical salaries are in Euro terms for star players at the major clubs, squad players at the major clubs and all players at middle-sized clubs? Is there any prospect of the very top players spending their careers in Argentina or will the drain of talent to Europe get worse?
Regards
Richard Murphy
Ireland